On the Outside: The Making Of Dukes Book 4
by Dawn Bently
Summary: With her children grown, Attia begins to wonder if she and Keiro were meant for the kind of life Finn and Claudia had mastered so beautifully. When Morgan returns to Court, she unknowingly creates another obstacle for Attia and Keiro to overcome. Not to mention the overhanging political problems Finn and his son are forced to deal with as well Attia/Keiro, Finn/Claudia, Casper/Anne
1. Chapter 1

Attia woke up with the curtains still drawn, casting the room in an odd state of light that filtered into the room around the heavy curtains and only lit up small strips of the ceiling and floor. Keiro's arm was still across her body, meaning he'd woken up within the last few hours and moved closer to her otherwise he'd have been on the other side of the bed. When she peered over at him, he was still dead asleep, his mouth wide open, his chest rising and falling in deep even breaths. She drew in a deep breath as she stretched and rolled out of bed, a movement followed by Keiro rolling over to occupy the space she'd just vacated. She quickly crossed the room towards the closet to dress, her mind going back to the previous night whenever she stopped monitoring her thoughts.

It'd been the first time in a while the sex between her and Keiro had been more than just routine. It'd been passionate and reminded her of their first years together. She forced her mind to focus on the day ahead or else risk coming to the conclusion that people like she and Keiro weren't meant to have any kind of long term commitment. They did better with fights to thrive off of and have sex through, not the emotional attachments and whatnot that drove Finn and Claudia's relationship.

After securing her hair up so it would stay out of her way, she slipped out of the closet and paused in the doorway when she noticed Keiro was up. He was laying on his side facing the closet door, one arm tucked underneath his head to prop it up. The sheets were draped around his waist and bunched around his feet. He eyed her from the bed, his eyes moving up and down her body as though he debated something in his mind, but his facial expression hadn't changed at all when his eyes met hers once more.

"You're up early," she finally said and he shrugged as he rolled over to lay on his back. He was dead centered on the bed, his other arm stretched out across Attia's side of the bed.

"Felt you get out," he answered after a moment. Attia started walking across the room towards the bathroom, and could feel Keiro's eyes following her. She left the door open as she leaned over the counter and made any final adjustments to her hair, then washed her face. "Is there something going on today?" he asked curiously as she wiped her face on a clean towel, then turned to look out the bathroom door at him.

"Kyra wants to go over the wedding plans," Attia answered with a shrug."Other than that, no."

"We should get out of Court," Keiro declared.

"There's too much to do with the wedding," Attia replied simply as she stepped out of the bathroom door and peered down at Keiro. "And all of that has to be done here. Kyra and Chris won't want to leave and make everything difficult."

"Just us," Keiro explained as he sat up on the edge of the bed and stretched his shoulders before meeting her gaze again. "I meant, just us."

Attia stilled as she stared at Keiro, and thought about what he was suggesting. It wasn't such a radical idea, really, and yet she couldn't bring herself to say yes. For years, they scrambled to get free of their responsibilities and escape their lives for even just a day, and now that their children were grown, they'd lost the passion that made them want that.

Since Attia remained quiet, Keiro rose an eyebrow at her before he tilted his head and reached up to run his hand through his hair. It was still long, the way he liked to keep it, regardless if a shorter hair cut would've been more fitting. Mixed in with the blonde strands, however, were grey ones that almost looked silver in the light.

"Ok," Attia finally said, realizing she should've answered already. She nodded and watched as Keiro's lips flashed a brief smile that faded as quickly as it had come. "I'll call my father, and let him know to expect us."

"I was thinking High Duke Hall," Keiro replied and it was Attia's turn to raise an eyebrow. "To be alone," he added in Attia's silence.

"Duke Hall isn't livable yet," Attia finally said and Keiro only shrugged.

"It's got a bed in it, doesn't it?"

Attia laughed a real laugh as she nodded and crossed the room towards the bed. Keiro watched her carefully as she advanced, as though he wasn't entirely certain what she was doing. When she reached the bed, she put her hands on each of his shoulders and put her knees on each side of his legs before she bent down to kiss him. He responded to the kiss, his arms encircling her waist. When he laid back on the bed, he pulled her back with him, but after a few moments, she untangled herself from his grasp and stood up before she brushed out her clothes.

"Kyra is expecting me," she told him but Keiro rolled his eyes, his lips retaining a smirk. He watched her walk towards the door and leave the room, the door closing quietly behind her. As she walked down the hallway of the High Duke household, she passed the empty room that used to belong to their son Finn. He'd since decided he wanted a room of his own elsewhere, and King Finn had accommodated him with the room that customarily belonged to the Commander of the Royal Guard. Mason, who'd been given the title at Charles' retirement, didn't use the room since he opted to stay with his wife, Attia's stepsister, Vivian in their own quarters. Since little Finn was slated to be the next Commander, the room change seemed fitting.

Past Finn's old room, Chris and Kyra had their own separate rooms, but it was fairly common knowledge that Chris had all but moved in with Kyra in her larger bedroom. The idea of Kyra and Chris together in a romantic relationship hadn't been as shocking to the royal family as most had expected simply because throughout Chris' childhood, he'd always been very clear that as much as he loved Keiro and Attia as his new parents, they'd never replaced his biological ones. And since he'd been seven when Keiro and Attia found him and informally adopted him, he still held onto old memories he had of his life before his royal one. Chris did, however, keep some possessions in his room across the hall from Kyra's only for Keiro's benefit. It wasn't that Keiro didn't like Chris with Kyra, but rather Keiro didn't like anybody with Kyra and he certainly didn't need Chris flaunting it right down the hall from him. Despite all that, Keiro and Attia were quite accepting of Kyra and Chris' relationship, and since they were happy with it, the rest of the royal family accepted it as well.

Attia continued passed those bedrooms and passed the guest rooms as well until she finally left the High Duke household and started towards her office in the financial department, not that she'd ever really been just a financial desk worker. She just refused to move her office no matter how many times Finn offered her a bigger or better one. Inside her office, Kyra was with Aunts Vivian and Anne, who were standing on each side of her and peering down at all the papers and fabrics spread across a drawing table Attia had pulled into the office after Kyra almost took over her desk with wedding things.

"What do you think?" Kyra asked as soon as she spotted her mother walking into the room. She reached across the table and snatched up to swatches of fabric and held them out to Attia. "This one I think will go better as the trim, but I really like the pattern on the other," she explained the dilemma as she handed off the fabrics to Attia and waited for an opinion.

"Whichever you like, Kyra," Attia laughed as she handed them back. It wasn't Attia's forte to deal with trivial things like fabrics and ribbons even though they were of some importance to her daughter. Kyra, who knew Attia's reluctance to pay attention to such details, hardly paid attention to the lack of answer and turned right back to the table as she started another debate about the fabrics with Anne again.

"The dress is almost finished," Vivian said as she stepped away from Kyra and towards Attia's desk. Attia was seated behind it, her hands moving quickly to reorganize her desk before she started going over more wedding details with her daughter.

"Alright," Attia answered without looking up at Vivian. "I'm sure it'll be perfect."

When Vivian said nothing, Attia slowly raised her gaze and met Vivian's downward casted eyes. Though Attia and Vivian had nothing in common, they'd learned to live each other over the years, given they were often forced together for various family obligations. "You never got fitted for a dress," Vivian finally said and Attia groaned as she looked back to her desk. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kyra and Anne turn towards her, but she stubbornly kept her attention on straightening the stacks of paper.

"I already have a dress that fits, Vivian," Attia finally said before she looked up again, but at Kyra rather than Vivian. "One Kyra picked out months ago."

"The black one?" Kyra asked with narrowed eyes as she tried to conjure up a mental image of the dress.

"You can't wear black to a wedding," Vivian objected and Attia rolled her eyes as she continued organizing her papers.

"Kyra, do you think I'm mourning if I'm wearing black?" Attia asked, eyes on her desk.

"No, I don't care," Kyra said as she shook her head and called Anne's attention back to the table. "I think string lights all around the gardens and then an arch way in front of the fountain with everyone standing around to watch the ceremony."

"It sounds beautiful, Kyra," Anne answered with a bright smile. "We'll get it all sorted out, for you."

"We're having Court shut down for the day, too," Attia put in as she looked up. Anne and Kyra turned back to her, both with surprised looks across their faces. "Well, I mean we have to. We won't be tending to anything the entire day and we'll have all the gardens secured in the morning, and nobody can come or leave from Court."

"That's a little much, don't you think?" Vivian asked and Attia turned towards her.

"We've almost evacuated for some events before. If this wedding was any bigger, Finn would've already ordered it," Attia answered simply. "It's an outdoor wedding with the entire royal family in one place all at once. There's no such thing as too much protection, no matter how paranoid Finn and I might be when we get to call all the shots."

"Fine," Vivian replied, no better able to recognize the fights she could and could not win with Attia. Of course, her marriage to Mason and Mason's standing with Attia and the King gave her a position with leverage that could make other women quite jealous even if Vivian felt completely disregarded at times.

"What of your bridesmaids?" Attia asked as she turned her head towards Kyra again.

"I think blue," Kyra answered with a nod. "It'll look good on Charlotte and Victoria," she explained as she touched a swatch of blue silk on the table. "They'll have their hair down and I'll wear mine up. In pined curls like you used to do them when we were small," she explained as she turned her attention to Anne. The eldest Princess of the Realm matched Kyra's smile as she nodded and reached out to touch Kyra's cheek. Anne had no daughters of her own, so she'd always been the one to show Kyra things like cosmetics and hairdos, things Attia had no interest in or talent with.

"What of your makeup?" Anne asked. "I know Victoria and Charlotte have a favorite artist who always does their makeup for events."

"I want you to do it," Kyra replied. Anne only stared back at Kyra as she took in what Kyra had told her so suddenly. "I want you to do my hair and makeup."

"Alright," Anne said finally as she nodded and smiled brightly at Kyra. "We'll have a trip to the Courtier Market in a few weeks to pick up some extra brushes and colors."

Attia smiled as she watched Anne and Kyra. When Kyra had first showed an interest in more feminine things like cosmetics and dresses and hairdos, Attia felt jealous of Anne, who could better relate to all those things. Now, however, Attia rather liked that Anne had someone to dote on like she could with Kyra, and Attia liked that Kyra had another to confide in who wasn't her mother should she ever need such a distinction.

"Will you come?" Kyra asked as she turned her gaze to Attia, who only nodded.

"Of course," Attia replied before she turned her gaze back to her desk. "I only have a few things to do today, and then we can get lunch and talk about all the flowers and music and whatever else you want."

"Ok," Kyra said as she nodded. Attia met her gaze for a moment before she collected a few documents into her folder and stood from her desk. Kyra went back to the other table and pulled Anne's attention with her while Attia continued out of the office and headed toward Finn's office. She didn't knock when she reached the door, expecting Finn to be in the middle of his usual activities, but instead she found Finn and Claudia on one side of the desk, Mason on the other. The three looked up at her when she walked in, all frozen as though they'd been caught doing something they shouldn't have been doing.

She eyed them carefully with narrowed eyes before she slowly approached the table, her eyes noticing Mason when he pulled a page from the top of the desk and shoved it into his pocket. As she reached the desk, she opened up her folder and pulled out the documents before handing them over to Finn. "Need your signature to finalize the funding on High Duke Hall," she said simply. Finn only nodded as he signed the pages and handed them back over to Attia. She took her time in placing the documents back into her folder, her eyes lingering on Mason, then on Claudia, both of whom weren't as good at straightening out their facial expressions like Finn.

"What's going on here?" Attia asked in the silence as she turned her gaze up to Finn, who only stared back at her.

"Nothing," Finn answered and Attia rose an eyebrow at him.

She nodded slowly as she looked over at Mason again. She studied his face before she looked over to Claudia. "Well, Keiro wants to go to High Duke Hall in a couple days, so we'll be gone for a little while," she said as she looked up at Finn again.

"I think that's great," Finn replied, a little too enthusiastically, causing Attia's eyes to narrow at him again. "You know, to spend some quality time together and check how the renovations are going," he added quickly.

"Yeah, it's so hard to have some time alone at Court," Claudia put in, but Attia kept her gaze on Finn and was unable to stop her eyes from rolling.

"Whatever you're doing, you should stop it," Attia said strongly as she gazed at each of them once more.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Finn said simply and Attia rolled her eyes again.

"Makes sure you get fitted for your coats for the wedding," she answered, obviously annoyed but not curious enough to press the matter. She tucked her folder under her arm and turned to leave the room. After shutting the door behind her, she lingered in the hallway curious if Finn was still intuitive enough to know to wait a few more minutes.

"You're going to have to tell her about-" Mason started but stopped immediately when Finn and Claudia silenced him with nonsense noises. "She deserves to know," he added after a moment of quiet, though he had lowered his voice. Either Finn or Claudia had responded to him, but kept their voices low enough so that Attia couldn't understand the mumblings. "I mean, no matter how badly she reacts now, it's not going to get better if you wait," Mason pointed out.

Attia was tempted to stay and listen longer, but knew she had to attend to her daughter's wedding plans. Forcing herself to walk down the hallway, she made a mental note to recruit Keiro or little Finn to do some eavesdropping for her.


	2. Chapter 2

**I didn't leave a not on the first chapter, but this is obviously the fourth installment of this series and will also be the last. I hope you all enjoy it!**

* * *

When Attia returned to her office, it was clear of people though Kyra's messy drawing table was still pushed up against the wall. Attia took the time to put her documents in order and to look through any work she had she'd not yet completed. As she filed things away, she heard a knock on her office door, and she called out for whoever it was to come in. Looking up, she found a young woman dressed in a nice women's pant suit step into the office and shut the door behind her. Her hair was blonde and naturally wavy, though it was in deliberate curls that day. Her eyes were blue and intensified with her lightly applied makeup.

"Victoria," Attia commented without much attention paid to the woman who continued to cross the room. Lady Victoria was the daughter of a man who'd served on Finn's Council some years ago, and she'd been a close friend of all the royal children by virtue of sheer proximity to them. Eventually, she'd caught the eye of Prince John, the future King, and for their entire adult lives, they'd only been with each other.

"I know something interesting," Victoria said as she reached the desk and stood there as Attia continued to organize her papers.

"You're in a position to know lots of interesting things, I'm sure," Attia replied, though a smile of amusement crossed her lips. Victoria was and had always been rumored to be the next Queen, though Victoria had always admired Attia before Claudia. Victoria and Claudia did of course spend time together, but since Victoria had a place on the King's Council, she just spent more time with Attia.

"The King is keeping secrets from you," Victoria said and Attia stopped what she was doing to look up at the woman leaning over her desk.

"I caught him conspiring with Claudia and Mason this morning," Attia admitted and Victoria nodded, her face not appearing entertained but rather somewhat grim. "What is it about?"

"I'm not entirely sure. He was talking with Mason, and he seemed to already know who he was talking about but I've never met a Lady Morgan before," Victoria answered, then watched as Attia's face contorted in response to hearing that name. "Who is she?"

"Nobody," Attia answered simply as she cleared her throat and shook her head. "You shouldn't be eavesdropping on the King, you know."

"Oh, come on," Victoria replied as she dragged over a chair and sat down. "You can't just not tell me who she is. And you're in no position to tell me to not eavesdrop when you're the one who gets all the information from me."

"You don't eavesdrop that often," Attia replied with a roll of her eyes as she diverted her attention to her work once more. "And if you want my office when I retire, you'd better get out of here," she added as she casted a brief glance up at the woman. Victoria narrowed her eyes at Attia as she weighed the threat.

"Fine," Victoria agreed with a heavy sigh. "But there's a Council meeting tonight," she added as she rose to her feet. "Maybe he'll say what's going on with this Lady Morgan then."

"Not if he wants to survive the night, he won't," Attia assured her, peaking Victoria's interest in the mysterious courtier. Rather than ask for any more information, Victoria turned and left the room, unaware of what the rumor had done to Attia. She'd given up on finishing up organizing her desk and was instead staring blankly down at the desktop. Lady Morgan shouldn't have sent her mind reeling, and yet it had. The idea of Lady Morgan had even driven Attia's mind to the night before when she'd finally felt the passion with Keiro again, which in turn led to the nagging idea in her head that she and him weren't really good at all this long term commitment business.

Giving up on keeping her doubts at bay, Attia stood and started towards the door of her office. Just as she started down the hallway, however, a messenger approached her and handed off a folded up page. She unfolded it and read that the King had summoned her to his office, inspiring a nagging feeling of dread in her chest as she continued towards Finn's office. When she stepped into the room, she froze as she stared across the room at the back of a woman she could identify without even seeing her face.

Lady Morgan's hair was as dark as it had been years ago, and still fell in the loose curls that fell around her shoulders and face. Her waist was still thin and emphasized by her corset, her skirt long and brushing the ground as she swayed and turned to the doorway to meet Attia's gaze. Keiro was standing on the other side of the room from Morgan, but Attia had only looked in his direction once. Finn stood behind his desk in the center of the room, but when Attia turned to him, she noticed two others standing in the room in the far corner.

The younger of the two was perhaps just a little older than the royal children, his hair short and blonde, his eyes bright blue. His gaze shifted uncertainly from Attia to the older man beside him, who was about the same age as Finn, Keiro, Attia, and Morgan. Attia drew in a deep breath as she turned her gaze back to Finn and stared at him, well aware Lady Morgan had been what Finn, Claudia, and Mason had been debating about earlier that morning.

"What is she doing here?" Attia asked finally.

"I have every right to come to Court when I please," Morgan replied and Attia resisted the urge to look in her direction. "I am of noble blood, if you've forgotten."

"I think you're confusing me with Keiro," Attia answered simply, doing her best not to look at either Morgan or Keiro. Suddenly, with Morgan in the room, all the passionless nights between her and Keiro were intensified like Morgan had come to Court specifically to throw them in Attia's face.

"We have a bit of an… indiscretion," Finn said, choosing his words carefully.

"My son has come to meet his father," Morgan explained in full as she stepped towards Finn's desk, forcing Attia's gaze to her. The two women only stared at each other, neither daring to say anything or look away. Attia could hear Keiro's steps crossing the room towards her, but when she felt his hand on her waist, she swatted his hand away then turned her eyes to him, the realization of Morgan's trip finally falling on her entirely.

She took in Keiro's blue eyes, and conjured up a memory of the color his hair had been in his youth before she turned and peered across the room at the young man standing in the corner. His blonde hair that matched Keiro's. His blue eyes that matched Keiro's. Even his shoulders were built like Keiro's. He was the spitting image of Keiro, so very unlike Finn and Kyra who had Attia's dark hair.

"Attia," Keiro called as he tried to put his hand on her shoulder but she shrugged his hand away from her and stepped away from him. She said nothing as she turned and left the office, pulling the door shut behind her. She walked down the hallway briskly, never stopping for anything, not paying attention to which corners she turned and which ones she passed by. She just kept walking until she realized she'd ended up outside on the side of Court where the Knights trained. Without a second thought, Attia continued towards the practice arenas, and hoped over the fences to reach the center of the training facility quicker. The sparring Knights and Guards stopped their attacks on each other to let her pass so as not to harm her, then picked up again when she'd passed them.

As she reached the center of the facility, she could make out Mason's figure standing beside Finn's, the pair of them going over battle plans and practice tactics. When Mason looked up and saw Attia, however, he turned to Finn and said something that convinced Finn to walk away before he noticed his mother approaching the pair. By the time Attia got to him, Finn was in one of the arenas and speaking to some of the other men.

"Attia, I-" Mason started, but stopped when Attia shoved him in the chest as hard as she could. She was a small woman, and Mason was actually quite larger—larger than Keiro—but sheer unpreparedness on his part was enough to for her to make him stumble back over his feet.

"I don't want to hear it from you!" she yelled at him, feeling every bit as betrayed by him as by Keiro and Finn and Claudia and anyone else who might've known. When Mason got his footing again, he casted a glance around at their surroundings to see she'd caught the attention of more than a few of the men nearby, Finn included. Mason boldly put his hand on the small of her back to lead her into the nearest tent, though he knew the flaps of the tent would do nothing to conceal her words.

"I said to tell you and I was out voted," he said quickly as he watched her. He motioned to one of the chairs in the tent for her to sit, but she opted to pace back and forth along the length of the tent. "And what was I going to say to you if I told you myself? 'Oh, by the way Morgan showed up this morning unannounced and declared Keiro was-'" Mason stopped when Attia's eyes shifted him. They were hard, cold, and narrowed, but he had a feeling most of her anger wasn't really for him. "Did you talk to him?"

"Did I talk to him?" she repeated, the words coming out in a breath as she looked away from Mason. "Don't be stupid, Mason. You've been around Keiro and I for years and you can see it as well as I can."

Mason averted his eyes from her, feeling unprepared for the conversation Attia seemed bent on having. Of course he'd noticed that Keiro and Attia had changed in the way they regarded each other. They might've been talented at hiding that from Finn, Claudia, and Anne, but Mason was around them too often for that. He spent every vacation with them since Attia went to see her father, Vivian her mother, which was always landed them all together in Primstone. Even Ronan had noticed the fading affection between Attia and Keiro, but Mason was certainly bright enough not to mention that to Attia just at that moment.

"Well, I mean, I don't think it's entirely fair to blame him," Mason said honestly and Attia's glare came right back around to land on him squarely. "He didn't know, Attia. She kept it all a secret."

"He slept with her," Attia shot back. "Several times. You do remember what it was like to have that whore running around Court picking out her fucking wedding dress."

"She wasn't-" Mason started but stopped when Attia took one step in his direction, her intentions clear in what she wanted to hear and not hear.

"She liked the idea of being High Duchess regardless of what you say. And now she dragged her bastard child to Court with her?"

"She brought her husband," Mason put in and Attia assumed Mason meant the older man who'd stood next to the younger version of Keiro. She hadn't even gotten the kid's name before running from the room.

"I bet he thinks this is the best vacation ever," Attia snapped sarcastically as she finally plopped down on the chair in the center of the tent. She forced in a breath so deep she felt her lungs expand, then let it out in a matter of seconds.

"I honestly don't think this has to put any kind of pressure on you and Keiro," Mason said gently and Attia slowly raised her gaze to him. She stared at him, the thoughts that'd been plaguing her returning in full force. Seeing Morgan right there in front of her only brought her straight back to when Morgan had been in their lives so long ago. When Keiro had declared he'd liked Morgan because she needed him. Attia certainly didn't need Keiro, that hadn't changed very much over the years. And Keiro hadn't been entirely wrong whenever he made some snide comment about Attia and Mason. Now it all combined and haunted her mind, the idea that Keiro would've been better suited to Morgan and that she'd have been happier with Mason.

"Hasn't it already?" she questioned.

"Well, you didn't talk to him about it, so how would you know?"

"I don't want to talk to him. I don't even want to look at him. And if I so much as hear her giggling I might have to kill her, Mason."

Mason sighed as he stepped towards Attia and knelt down in front of her. He could tell plainly from her tone of voice that at least part of her believed in her words. He put a hand on her shoulder and her eyes shifted to meet his. "Just take a breath, Attia. Casper has kids from other women."

"Do I look like Anne to you?" Attia snapped as she shoved his hand off of her shoulder and stood up abruptly. "Anne fucking loves those bastard kids and all their mothers hate her for it. She loves everyone! She's practically best friends with Vivian and now the pair of them gets to catch up with the most annoying woman in the whole world! Congratulations, by the way, Mason. You're no longer married to the worst woman at Court."

"Are you mad at Vivian now, for some reason?" he questioned as he rose an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't entirely fight the smile on her lips. He laughed as he continued watching her, well aware he'd gotten through to her even if she refused to admit it. "Why don't you go have lunch with Anne or something, and then after you've had a drink or two, go see Keiro."

"I don't want to see Keiro," she answered, but Mason only shrugged his shoulders as he stepped towards her and started leading her towards the exit of the tent.

"You can't avoid it forever, you know."

"I can kick him out of my room."

"Those rooms belong to him," Mason pointed out.

"How much would you be willing to bet on that?" she challenged and Mason only rolled his eyes and motioned back to Court with his arm.

"Go, and behave yourself."

"No promises."


	3. Chapter 3

Attia didn't dare go back to Finn's office on the off chance she might see Morgan there. Attia knew her fragile mental state better than anybody else and knew she couldn't quite handle seeing Morgan again just yet. Instead, she went to her office and paused in the doorway when she noticed Keiro seated in her chair behind her desk. His eyes went up to her right away, but he said nothing as he waited for her to make the next move. When she shut and locked the door behind her, she swore she could almost see his shoulders relax slightly.

Silently, she walked across the room, stopping to pick up a piece of fabric that had fallen to the ground. She tossed it to Kyra's drawing table before she met Keiro's gaze again. By then, he'd stood up from her chair rather than risk an argument about it, since he knew she liked to have full control of her own office. Rather than move around the desk, she remained standing on her side and Keiro stared back at her.

"Where is she?" Attia finally asked.

"I don't know," Keiro answered her as he held her gaze. Attia only nodded as her fingers mindlessly pushed a pen around the edge of the desk. "We ordered a DNA test."

Attia scoffed as she narrowed her eyes at him. She swallowed and her facial expression softened for half a second before she forced her mask up again. "Why did you even bother?" she asked as she rose an eyebrow at him. It had been plain as day to Attia and she'd only set her eyes on the young man for half a minute, maybe a few seconds longer. He had Keiro's jaw, Keiro's eyes, Keiro's shoulders and build, Keiro's hair.

"It's necessary for Council to recognize him," Keiro answered, then almost regretted the words when Attia's fingers swiftly curled around the pen and squeezed it until her knuckles turned white, and then some.

"Recognize him as what?" she demanded and Keiro sighed as he walked around the desk to the center of the room. Attia's eyes followed him, her grip never loosening on the pen.

"I don't know," Keiro yelled back at her as he whipped around to face her. "I can't just not-"

"Not what?" she snapped.

"Not pay attention to him," Keiro finished, eyes flaming as he stared at her. She felt something familiar starting to consume her, but she pushed the feeling away as much as could as she tried to hold on to the pure anger. Honestly, it wasn't all that difficult for her to hold steadfastly to her rage. "What do you want from me?" he demanded suddenly as he took three steps towards her but left one more between them. "I didn't choose this. I didn't ask her to come."

"I don't know," she answered sharply as she tossed the pen behind her. She'd meant to put it on her desk, but he just made her so angry that it flew out of her hand and struck the wall with enough force to make the plastic parts fly apart. "It's not like you've given me all that much time to think about it."

"Oh, sorry, while I was entertaining Morgan and her kid, and you weren't there, was that not ample thinking time?" he snapped at her, well aware he shouldn't have made the comment. That thought was intensified when Attia struck him with an open palm, his face sure to hurt for the rest of the day. At least she hadn't punched like she had years ago. He'd almost had a fractured jaw that time.

Attia said nothing as she walked passed him and towards the door, but she didn't quite reach it before Keiro's fingers slipped around her wrist and tightened enough for her to turn back to him. She tried to whip her arm out of his grasp, but his entire arm flexed as he increased the pressure of his fingers on her wrist. He stalked towards her until he pressed her against the door of the office, then lowered his lips to hers, surprised to feel her lips kiss him back. Her free arm snaked around his neck eagerly and as soon as his other hand touched her waist to lift her hips up, her legs wrapped around him.

It felt like a continuation of the night before, but somehow completely different. Last night had been fueled with desperation for something more, and this was fueled by fury and hate. It was reminiscent of their first year together, and Keiro could taste it on her lips as he trusted his hips against hers, her moans filling the silence in the air.

When Keiro finally left the office after straightening his clothes and giving her enough time to do the same, he knew whatever was newly lit between them was doomed to be short lived. He went down the hallway and ran his hand through his hair as he turned the corner to go towards Finn's office. In the office, Finn was seated at his desk and the man Keiro knew as Morgan's husband was standing off to the side of Finn. They were both looking down at the binder that documented all the rooms at Court.

Finn only glanced up at Keiro before he marked something on a page in the binder then reached into his drawer to retrieve a set of keys. "It's on the third floor, second corridor. Ask one of the maids if you get lost," Finn explained as he handed over the keys to the other man. He took them and put them in his pocket before he peered up and met Keiro's gaze. Silently, the man passed Keiro and left the office leaving Finn and Keiro alone.

"The DNA test will take three to four weeks," Finn said simply and Keiro stared at him.

"I'll be sitting on the edge of my seat," Keiro replied sarcastically and Finn shut his eyes as he censored his next words.

"You look like Attia handled it well enough," he finally decided on saying as his eyes dropped to Keiro's shirt where one of the buttons of his shirt was undone. Keiro rolled his eyes at the comment as he quickly fixed the button and crossed the room.

"Yeah, until tonight when you'll find my body wrapped in a blanket somewhere."

"Oh, come on," Finn said as his eyes followed Keiro around the room. "I get that it's a little…"

"A little what, Finn?" Keiro pressed as he reached the windows and paused as he looked down into the courtyard below them. He could make out the top of Kyra's head as she sat at a table in the courtyard. She was joined by two blonde women, whom Keiro assumed to be Princess Charlotte and Lady Victoria. "A little inconvenient? Or all the proof she needs to make her point about me?"

"Are you talking about Attia or Morgan?"

"Does it matter?" Keiro snapped as he turned and met Finn's eyes. "Morgan is enjoying herself, I'd say. And if I'm not the dead one in the morning, she'll be."

"I don't understand why Attia hates Morgan so much more than all the other women," Finn admitted and was so caught up in his own confusion, failed to notice Keiro's eyes narrowing at him. "I mean, there are women here you were with and Attia's never even looked twice at any of them."

"Morgan was-" Keiro started then stopped, realizing it was one thing to have that argument with Attia, and quite another to explain it all to Finn, who never really understood the dynamic of Keiro and Attia's relationship.

"Different?" Finn questioned. "How? You didn't treat her any differently than any of the others."

"Didn't I?" Keiro replied as he turned back to the window. He noticed a dark haired man had joined the three women, though he couldn't tell if it was little Finn, Chris, or Prince Chase. Prince John had light hair like his mother as his sister did.

"I didn't notice if you did," Finn admitted, pulling Keiro's attention back to him again. "But, Attia would've been better at being able to tell something like that than I would've been."

"Are you trying to annoy me?" Keiro questioned and Finn rolled his eyes as he turned back to his desk and started moving papers around, signing his name on some of them and tossing others into his trash bin.

"What are you going to tell Kyra, Chris, and Finn?" he asked curiously then looked over his shoulder at Keiro when he didn't get a response. "You did realize you have to tell them, right?"

"Not until right now," Keiro snapped back, obviously overwhelmed and annoyed. He'd turned his gaze away from the window to glare at Finn, though even Keiro was aware his anger was misplaced. "Where is Morgan now?"

"Getting lunch with Anne," Finn answered with a shrug. "I think Lucas went with her husband."

"What kind of name is Lucas?" Keiro questioned and Finn let himself laugh at the comment.

"I think it's a little late for you to have an opinion on the kid's name," Finn pointed out, but didn't pay attention how Keiro took the comment. Keiro lingered in the office for only a little while longer before he finally left with the intention of speaking to Kyra, Chris, and Finn. As he went down the hallway, he could hear laughter echoing as it grew louder and closer to him. Before Keiro was able to get passed the hallways leading from Anne and Claudia's households, Anne, Morgan, and Vivian came around the corner. Keiro eyed Anne carefully before he left his gaze wander to the side where Morgan stood.

"Keiro," Morgan said, her voice bolder than he remembered her. Of course, he knew she'd always acted differently around him than she had around others. It seemed now that it was well established that there would never anything between them again, Morgan had opted to treat Keiro as she had everyone else.

"What?" he asked, aware he was a little more irritable than usual.

"You haven't said two words to me since I got here," she said, her tone calm, but her words accusatory.

"You came here so I could talk to Lucas, not to you," Keiro pointed out as he brushed passed the three women and continued down the hall. He didn't get very far before he felt a hand reach out for his wrist. He turned back quickly, ready to tell Morgan to leave him alone, but paused when he saw it was Anne who'd approached him. Her face was soft and empathetic, but he'd expected no less.

"Are you ok?" she asked softly as she stepped closer to him and tilted her head up. Keiro's lips pulled up in an effortless smile at Anne, only because he couldn't help such a reaction to the woman. Anne was so sweet and genuine that even his hard exterior couldn't stay up around her.

"I'm fine," he told her as he twisted his hand around so that his fingers grasped hers gently. "But for the record, I don't like this," he said as he released her fingers and motioned between her, Morgan, and Vivian. "It's not ideal for the three of you to be socializing."

Anne rolled her eyes as her face hardened a bit and Keiro's gaze came back down to her. "Well, Claudia refused to see Morgan and I'm the only one left."

"Big surprise," Keiro commented as he turned on his heel and started down the hallway a second time. He went outside to the training facility, where Mason approached him as soon as he caught sight of the Duke. "Is Finn out here?" he asked Mason as his eyes shifted around to spot his son.

"He left to have lunch with Chris," Mason answered as he carefully threw his legs over the short fence one at a time. As Mason started to walk away from the training facility, Keiro followed, neither all that concerned with whatever responsibilities Mason might've had as Commander. "He doesn't know yet."

"It's Court, Mason," Keiro snapped as he looked up at the other man. "You can't sneeze without everybody knowing in thirty seconds."

"I have a feeling nobody wants to tell him or Kyra," Mason replied, ignoring Keiro's foul mood as easily as he'd ignored Attia's. The two just continued walking until Mason paused and motioned up. Keiro noticed Mason had led him a quarter of the way around Court and stopped at another courtyard where all the royal boys were seated at one of the stone tables, servers hovering around to finish feeding them their lunch. Judging from the way the way the four were laughing, Keiro had a feeling none of them knew just yet.

Keiro left Mason behind as he continued towards the courtyard. When the boys noticed him, they started to make room for him to sit as well, but Keiro ignored it as he touched Finn and Chris' shoulders. "I need to talk to you," he told them simply before he peered up and met John and Chase's gaze. The other two men watched Keiro, but said nothing as Finn and Chris stood up to follow Keiro back towards the walls of Court. "Do you know where Kyra is?"

"She's probably with Anne," Chris answered. "Going over more wedding stuff."

"Wedding stuff," Finn repeated as he turned to his adoptive brother and grinned. His voice was teasing, but Chris only smiled and laughed as he shook his head. Finn had accepted the idea of Chris and Kyra as easily as anyone else had, but that still hadn't been enough for Finn to stop thinking of Chris as his brother. He was just a different kind of brother.

"I just saw Anne, she wasn't with Kyra," Keiro commented, unable to keep the irritable seriousness out of his voice. He continued walking through Court until he finally reached King Finn's office, where Finn looked up at the three with shock on his face.

"Really?" he questioned as he dropped his pen to the desk. "Here?"

"Where else is there?" Keiro replied sharply.

"What about Attia's office?"

"What about the morgue?" Keiro shot back, a reference to their earlier conversation about possible murder victims. Finn groaned as he stood up from his desk and casted a glance to his nephews, both of whom looked back at him with confusion clear across their faces.

"Fine," Finn finally said, though Keiro had already pointed his sons further into the room and shut the door regardless of having Finn's permission or not.

"Is this about some Morgan girl?" Finn questioned as he looked back to Keiro, then shifted his gaze briefly to his namesake. "Victoria said-" Finn stopped abruptly when Chris elbowed him in the side. Finn seemed to realize he was outing his source too late, but sealed his lips anyway.

"Victoria said what?" Keiro questioned.

"Keiro, let it go," King Finn told him and Keiro looked to the desk. They stared at each other for a moment as though having some conversation, but Keiro eventually rolled his eyes and peered up at Chris and little Finn again.

"Yes, Morgan came back to Court," Keiro answered.

"Who is she, then?" Chris asked.

"She's-" Keiro started then stopped, realizing he had no idea what to say. He'd never had any kind of conversation with his children about his past romances other than Attia. He didn't even know what to call Morgan. She was an ex-girlfriend for all intents and purposes, but in the back of Keiro's mind he wondered what Attia would say or do to him if she caught wind that Keiro had called Morgan that.

Finn and Chris started at Keiro, both confused. They glanced at each other before they focused on Keiro again. Keiro drew in a breath as he ran his hand through his hair. "She's someone from before your mother."

Finn narrowed his eyes at Keiro, and Chris only looked more confused than before.

"They're not Council, Keiro. I think straightforward is probably better," King Finn commented, but Keiro doubted his opinion. Since he couldn't really find another way to articulate what he was trying to say, Keiro only nodded at Finn's advice.

"She came back today with a son she said is mine," Keiro said. The color drained from Finn's face, and Chris just stared blankly at Keiro. Pure silence passed through the room as neither young man had any idea what to say. Keiro wasn't sure if he should say anything at all while they processed the information, and since he couldn't think of anything else to add, he just kept quiet.

Finally, Finn found his words, though Chris thought he should've kept looking a little longer. "What?"

"I think that was fairly self-explanatory," Keiro said, uncertain of what his son really meant.

"Yeah, but, I meant, what?" Finn replied as he narrowed his eyes at Keiro.

"I think your father needs a real question, Finn," King Finn commented as he turned back to the young men. He hadn't wanted to get entangled in the personal affairs between Keiro and his children, but since they were in his office and distracting him, and appearing to not be ready to leave any time soon, he just put in his thoughts when necessary.

"I think he means, you didn't know she had a kid?" Chris asked and Keiro turned his attention to him.

"No, I had no idea," Keiro answered.

"You'd never seen her again since then or what?" Finn snapped.

"Actually, I-" Keiro started then stopped as he turned to Finn seated at the desk. King Finn knew Keiro had figured it out, so he turned back to his work as though that would be enough to deter Keiro. "She came to court to get her marriage license signed, Finn," Keiro said angrily and Finn slowly looked up at him.

"Yeah, I know," Finn answered slowly as he nodded. "I was hoping you and Attia wouldn't remember that bit."

"He'd have been nine or something," Keiro added. "And she said nothing! Oh, she's such a bitch, Finn. Of all the women! All the women it had to be her?" he questioned and Finn stood up to step towards Keiro.

"I think Attia feels the same way," he pointed out, but it obviously made no difference to Keiro.

"Of all the women," Keiro repeated as he shook his head.

"There were several?" little Finn questioned from the other side of the room, pulling the attention of the older men.

"Shut up," Chris mumbled to him as he rolled his eyes, but Finn mostly ignored his brother.

"Like, how many?" Finn asked.

"What? You want a number?" Keiro asked as he started at Finn with a mix of confusion and shock across his face. "I don't know. I was like-"

"Casper," King Finn put in as he look to his nephews. "Your father and Casper were the same until they had their relationships with your mother and Anne."

Little Finn's face scrunched up and Chris rolled his eyes at his brother, though neither said anything.

"And it was your mother, then Morgan, then your mother again but for real the second time," Finn added and Keiro turned to him with narrowed eyes.

"I don't think that was strictly necessary, Finn," Keiro snapped.

"You cheated on Mom with some girl?" Finn questioned and Keiro groaned as he gritted his teeth.

"If Attia doesn't kill me tonight, I will kill you tomorrow," Keiro said as he held King Finn's gaze.

That night, Keiro slowly pushed open the door to their bedroom so as not to wake Attia at three in the morning. As he stepped into the room, however, he paused when he noticed Attia seated upright in the bed, an open folder with papers in her lap, her eyes trained on him. With a sigh, he continued into the room and shut the door behind him. As he crossed the room, he undid his shirt and left it on the ground, followed by each of his shoes and his socks, leaving a trail of his clothing from the door to the closet.

"I didn't know you were up," Keiro finally commented when he'd already gone into the closet to retrieve his sleepwear.

"Avoiding me?" she questioned. From the closet, he could hear the shuffling of her papers followed by the shutting of her folder. She set it down on the bed stand nearest to her, then shifted her eyes up to him in the closet.

"Not successfully," he answered truthfully as he appeared in the closet door and looked at her in the bed. There had been a time when he wouldn't have been able to resist the sight of her dressed in anything less than normal clothing in his bed, and yet he found it difficult to just cross the room and climb in next to her. Of course, his hesitations came from a different source of emotion, but it hardly seemed to bother him.

"Where were you?" she asked him when he'd gotten to the foot of the bed and moved around her feet to come up on his side of the bed.

"Walking," he answered as he laid down and pulled the covers up to his shoulders. Attia remained seated and Keiro had no intentions of forcing her to do anything she hadn't done herself. If she wanted to sit up in bed all night long, he wouldn't say a damn word about it. "I told Chris and Finn, but I couldn't find Kyra."

"I told her," Attia answered. "She didn't take it very well."

"Well, Finn put it into their heads that I cheated on you with her."

"It's not that far of a toss, Keiro," Attia commented as she slipped under the covers finally. She leaned over and turned off her lamp then settled herself on her stomach. Keiro, however, had slept next to her for over twenty years by then and could tell right away Attia had no intentions of sleeping that night. Her entire body was tense and rigid, and she was itching to have another fight with him. Why she was holding herself back, he couldn't tell. And he wasn't even sure if he should initiate it or not. So, he just let out a long breath and tucked his arms under the back of his head and stared up at the ceiling.


	4. Chapter 4

In the morning, Attia walked with Kyra to Finn's office, where Chris and Finn were already waiting she'd been told. Keiro had left early that morning to have breakfast with Lucas, his mother, and his stepfather, and Attia had no inclination to ask him anything about it. By the time Attia and Kyra reached the office, she saw Keiro and Lucas had already gotten there, Morgan and her husband standing along the far side of the wall with King Finn speaking to each of them. Keiro stood between Lucas and little Finn as Finn narrowed his eyes at the blonde. Chris stood on the other side of Finn, but did nothing and let Finn size up the other man.

Keiro looked up at the sound of the door to see Attia and Kyra, who slowly crossed the room towards them. Keiro dared to press a kiss to Attia's cheek, and she did nothing to deter him, so he slipped his arm around her to place his hand on the small of her back. Kyra slipped between Finn and Chris and entangled her fingers with Chris'. She regarded Lucas the same way Finn did, and she remained silent as well.

Attia looked up when she noticed Morgan approaching the younger crowd, but Morgan paused on the other side of Lucas. Attia could see it in Morgan's eyes how defensive the woman was, but Attia didn't quite blame her for that. It was Morgan who'd brought her child to Court and taken him out of his usual environment to meet a father and siblings he may or may not have known existed. Finn, Kyra, and Chris, however, were in their environment and facing their intruder. It was a very different situation, and even if Attia could recognize that, it didn't change her attitude towards the situation.

Morgan's eyes shifted from Attia to Kyra and looked at the young woman for longer than what was necessary. Kyra seemed to notice, so she narrowed her eyes at Morgan, but Kyra didn't see what Morgan saw. Morgan saw a younger, happier version of Attia, just as Attia saw Keiro in Lucas. When Morgan's eyes lifted up to Attia again, her face hadn't changed at all. "She looks just like you," Morgan finally said.

"She's more like Keiro than me," Attia replied simply, deciding she didn't like much any pleasantries between herself and Morgan.

"So you're together?" Lucas questioned suddenly, pulling attention back to the children who were meeting each other for the first time. "Like actually together? Even though you're… raised together," he finally decided on saying. Kyra's eyes narrowed at Lucas, and Chris put his other hand on her shoulder, but she shook away the touch.

"Well, thank you for pointing that out. I wouldn't have noticed at all without your help," she snapped before she turned and left the room before anybody had been able to say anything. Chris sighed heavily as he looked over to Lucas apologetically then followed Kyra out of the room.

"Keiro's daughter, my ass," Morgan commented and Keiro suddenly put a hand on Attia's waist as he pulled her back to him. He could feel her resisting him as he moved her, but she'd thankfully said none of the things of Morgan she'd said in the past.

"Why don't you go for a walk?" Keiro suggested and Attia narrowed her eyes at him.

"Go for a walk?" she questioned.

"Yeah," Keiro answered, though her response had been sarcastic. "Get some fresh air."

"You mean get away from your whore," Attia commented as she nodded and brushed past Keiro to cross the room and reach the door. Keiro shut his eyes at her comment, but he said nothing so as not to start a full out argument with her just yet. When he heard the door shut behind Attia, he swallowed and looked over to Morgan, who just stared at him with narrowed eyes.

"It's not like I can control them, alright," he snapped at her.

Morgan said nothing as she looked away from Keiro to look at Finn once more. Keiro did the same, and though he'd always said he couldn't see himself in Finn, with Finn and Lucas standing beside each other, he noticed they did look similar. Lucas, who was undoubtedly very much like Keiro, resembled his half-brother to a certain extent.

"Finn?" Keiro asked and Finn looked up to him.

"I don't like it," Finn announced simply as he shrugged then turned to walk towards the door. Keiro sighed as he turned and followed him to grab his arm and lean down to his ear.

"Check on your sister," Keiro told him simply and Finn shrugged again as he looked up at his father. He tried to maintain his calm exterior, but Keiro could see plainly that Finn felt the same way about Lucas as Kyra had. His face was conflicted and Keiro wouldn't be surprised if Finn even felt a little threatened by Lucas.

"Fine, whatever," Finn said as he shrugged Keiro's arm away and left the room. Keiro just stared at the shut door for a moment before he turned around to face Morgan. Lucas had moved across the room to his stepfather, the pair of them caught up in a conversation, while Morgan just stared up at Keiro from where the four young adults had just been standing a few moments before. Keiro said nothing to her before he turned and left the room.

The Council meeting that had been scheduled for the day prior was moved back to accommodate the sudden appearance of Morgan and the news she came with. Finn had insisted that the meeting could wait a bit longer, but Attia insisted she wanted the distraction. Of course, she could tell there was something else Finn had been keeping to himself and that he couldn't keep it a secret for much longer. So, he agreed to call the Council meeting for that night, though only Attia and Claudia would attend, leaving Keiro free.

In the Council meeting hall, Attia sat between Mason and Finn, Claudia across from her, and Victoria across from Mason. The other members of Council were around the table, more than half of them were around Victoria's age or a little older, but that had been by design. Finn wanted to train the people who would become his son's Council at some point. Only when all the members of Council had entered and taken their seats, did Finn finally start.

"I've been entertaining King Logan of Mallery for some time now," he admitted right away. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Attia turn to him. He'd purposely not told Attia about any exchanges between himself and the Mallery royal family solely because Finn was terrified Attia might one day come through with any threats she might've spat out at King Logan all those years ago. "And he's pushing to have any trip here with his wife and daughter."

"I think we've got enough drama for right now, Finn," Claudia put in as she turned to Finn. It was obvious from the look across her face that she had no desire to host royals while Lady Morgan was running around Court.

"I've been putting it off for months," Finn answered as he looked to her, then slowly to Attia. His gaze was softer and more apologetic when on Attia, though she hardly paid it any attention. "He wants to come and negotiate a marriage between John and his daughter Princess Avery."

It was Victoria who huffed at the comment and Finn turned to her as did Attia. Everyone else pretended she hadn't responded in the way she had.

"Obviously, I'm not putting that much stock into it," Finn continued as he held Victoria's gaze.

"I should hope not," Victoria replied, allowing herself to get bolder with Finn than she usually did. Attia actually laughed at the response and Finn couldn't help his smile. Why the pair of them always found Victoria's antics so entertaining, nobody had ever figured out.

"All that John would have to do is humor her for a couple days," Finn said, though his gaze never left Victoria. He knew as well as everyone else at that table that Victoria was not the kind of woman to let another come in and steal her man. The key to getting the Mallery Royal family to come and have a peaceful visit laid within Victoria's approval of the plan.

"And by humor her, you mean…?" Victoria questioned as she narrowed her eyes at Finn. Suddenly, the entire Council meeting sounded and felt more like a private conversation between the King and woman who was the next Queen in all but name.

"I mean, humor her," Finn answered. "Walk with her around Court. Point out pretty things and laugh at her jokes."

"What if she's not funny?"

"Victoria," Finn said as he averted his eyes to some random point on the other side of the room.

"It's a possibility, you know," Victoria defended herself.

"I agree," Attia declared as she turned to Finn. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Claudia's gaze turning to her, but Attia kept her attention on Finn.

"You agree that since Princess Avery might not be funny our alliance with Mallery should be damned?" Finn questioned. He rose an eyebrow and held Attia's gaze for a few moments before he shifted his eyes to Victoria, though only to point out how ridiculous their argument was.

"I'm not entertaining Queen Abigail again, Finn," Attia declared, pulling Finn's attention back to her. "Do you not remember the last time they were here?"

"If you play nice with Queen Abigail and do not make well with any of your threats on King Logan, I will keep Morgan away from you at all costs," Finn told her. Attia narrowed her eyes at Finn and he knew he had her seriously considering the agreement. As much as she hated being diplomatic every day, she hated Morgan even more. Finn knew that for whatever reason, Morgan could get under Attia's skin like nobody else, and with the addition of Morgan's son at Court, it was already a small miracle Morgan had survived the night.

Attia drew in a deep breath as she averted her eyes from Finn and stared across the table, first at Claudia, then at Victoria. Victoria was usually so well composed that Finn and Claudia had used to doubt her true affections for their son. Now, they knew Victoria was just naturally talented at keeping her face straight, but under the threat of entertaining a Princess to potentially marry the man she'd been with her entire adult life, her eyes were wide, her lips parted, no words appearing to form on her lips any time soon. She was desperate for Attia to not take Finn's deal. Victoria and Attia were so alike and got along so well, that part of Victoria knew Attia had already accepted the deal, but if Attia stopped fighting against having the royal Mallery family, Victoria would have no one else to side with her.

"Fine," Attia heavily sighed as she looked away from Victoria.

"No, Attia," Victoria groaned as she let her head fall back dramatically. "Come on! You've got to be kidding! You can't let some bitch come here and try to marry John!" Vitoria was obviously rattled about the prospect of even a pretend courtship between John and another woman.

"I don't think we have a choice, Victoria," Finn said regretfully as he turned his attention to the woman. Victoria stared back at Finn in a way that was new in their relationship, but Finn couldn't really say he blamed her all that much for her steadfast objection to the visit of the Mallery family. "And John won't fall in love with her, anyway."

"That is not the point," Victoria objected as she stood up, eyes switching quickly from Finn to Attia. It was telling that even Victoria could tell Attia's opinion on the matter carried more weight than Claudia's, but nobody was willing to ever comment on that.

"What is your biggest concern, then?" Finn asked.

For the first time, Attia was actually concerned for what Victoria might do. Rather than attack Finn or Claudia, though, Victoria drew in a breath and turned away from the King and Queen, formal manners be damned. "I'm retiring for the night," she declared simply as she left the room without permission to leave the Council meeting. The Queen's household, where Victoria was housed, was down the hallway on the right, but Victoria obviously went to the left to where the royal children John, Charlotte, and Chase's rooms were located.

She went down the hallway quickly, and reached the sitting rooms that the two princes and the princess shared. Victoria barged into the room, her eyes skipping over Kyra and Chris, who were cuddled up together on the love seat, to find John on the longer couch with Finn beside him. Charlotte and Chase were seated on the ground around the short table in the center of the seating area playing a game of cards.

"You didn't come to the Council meeting," Victoria said simply as she locked eyes with John. He'd slid over on the couch, his arm draped over the back, making room for her next to him. She had no intentions of settling onto the couch though.

"No, I didn't," John agreed as he eyed Victoria, suddenly aware that her demeanor wasn't as usual. He sat up straight as his face hardened and became more serious. "Kyra came out looking for me and she was upset about Lucas so we came here, and we've all been here all day. I figured you'd come after the meeting," John explained as he got to his feet and crossed the room. When he reached Victoria, he reached out to push the blonde curls that had fallen into her face. His touch was soft and gentle, but she hardly paid his fingertips any attention. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replied quickly and defensively as she stepped around him and went to the bar Chase and Finn had installed in the room a few years ago. Victoria preferred only wine seeing that the heavier drinks the boys and Charlotte liked made her do the most ridiculous things. Under the circumstances, however, she didn't think twice as she pushed herself up onto her toes to reach the fancy glass bottle of hard liquor on one of the higher shelves. She angrily put two glasses on the counter of the bar and messily dripped the amber liquid into each, managing to spill most of the alcohol into the glasses than on the counter top.

John remained quiet as he approached the bar and stood on the other side of it from her. When she looked up at him, she saw the concern in his eyes, which momentarily sent a wave of relief through her. With a breath, she downed the first glass and dropped it back to the counter empty. John had started to reach for the other, but Victoria took it from him before he could. Then, everyone else in the room watched her with concern in their faces. Kyra had untangled herself from Chris to sit up straight on the edge of the cushion, her eyes trained on Victoria as she took the seat John had just gotten up from. John stepped around his sister and cousin on the floor to sit on the table facing Victoria. He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, his hands open for whenever Victoria felt like putting hers in his.

"Your father is having us host the Mallery royal family here," Victoria said as though the other six in the room would know what that implied.

"Ok," John replied slowly, still not quite sure what that really entailed. Before Victoria felt like elaborating, she finished the other drink and Finn took the empty glass from her. He'd slid over on the couch as Charlotte and Chase moved so that all six could see her.

"To negotiate a marriage between you and Princess Avery," Victoria finally said, though her eyes didn't leave John's once. John knew that at some point in his childhood his parents had dabbled in the idea of choosing a bride from him, but he'd been told they'd decided to let him make those choices himself.

"No," John said after a few tense silent moments passed through the royal six, plus Victoria, but it'd been years since Victoria had ever been singled out from the other six. She was as much part of them as they were to each other, even if she was not royal by blood. She was good as John's wife, if he'd ever managed to ask her. "No, he wouldn't," he added as he reached out to take Victoria's hand in his. "He told me that before. He'd never do that."

"It's supposed to be for show. To make them think that you're interested, or- I don't know. He's afraid the alliance between us and Mallery won't hold if you don't humor her."

"Then it's not real, Tor," John told her as he stood up and moved to sit right beside her on the couch. His arm instinctively wrapped around her and she turned her entire body to rest against his, one of her arms wrapping around him as well. He pressed his lips to her forehead.

"I don't care if it's not real, John," she snapped, though she made no movement to leave his embrace. "Why does everyone make me sound like I'm crazy for not wanting you to pretend to like some other woman? That is not crazy," she declared as she lifted her head from his chest and met his gaze. When he said nothing, she turned sharply to meet Charlotte's gaze, then Kyra's.

"I wouldn't like it," Kyra said as she leaned over and put her hand on Victoria's leg as a motion of comfort. Victoria swallowed as she nodded twice to Kyra and squeezed her fingers before she let out a heavy sigh and dropped back against John again.

"I can feel the scotch already. How do you drink all the time?" she questioned as she shut her eyes and groaned as she turned her head to fully burry her face in John's chest. He could feel his chest shaking as he laughed and moved her so she was practically in his lap.

"You had two drinks, Tor," he told her as he smoothed her hair and kissed her forehead again. "And you're a bit of a light-weight." She could hear the combined laughs of Finn, Chase, and Charlotte, but she ignored them effectively when she felt John's arms move to hold her behind her back and beneath her legs. She tightened her grip around his neck as he stood up and carried her away from the seating area and towards the hallway that led to his bedroom.


	5. Chapter 5

So far, Finn had made good on his half of the agreement. Attia went to his office, where Morgan was nowhere in sight, and retreated to her office to get some work done. After she gathered all the paperwork that needed to be finalized, she went by Claudia's household, where she and Anne were seated around a table enjoying their morning tea.

"Is Victoria around here?" Attia asked them as she stepped into the room, but stayed near the doorway.

"No," Claudia answered as she looked over at Attia. "The other girls said she never came back for the night. She's probably stayed with John."

"Is she alright?" Anne asked curiously as she looked to Attia, further proof that Victoria was closer to Attia than to Claudia or Anne.

"I don't know," Attia answered simply before she turned and left the room. She went back to Finn's office to hand off all her finished work before she went to John's room. She knocked on the door to the seating area before she slowly stepped into the room. She knew as well as everyone else that the seating area connecting Charlotte, John, and Chase's rooms was practically the only space the royal children had to call completely, entirely their own. All their parents had always done their best not intrude on that space so much to the point where Attia actually felt out of place as she took three steps into the room.

Victoria was seated on the loveseat with John beneath her, their legs and arms entangled. Kyra and Chris were on the couch as they played some kind of game between them, Charlotte seated on the edge of the table as she waited for it to end so she could play the winner. Judging from the muffled giggles from the adjacent room, Attia assumed Chase was entertaining a guest privately in his bedroom and was doing a splendid job at it just like his father.

"Are you alright, Victoria?" Attia asked as she looked over to the blonde. Victoria met and held Attia's gaze for a moment, before a small smile found its way onto her lips. She nodded twice before the smile faded and she retreated further against John's inviting body.

"I get it," Victoria said even though Attia hadn't expected her to say anything. "I mean, I'm not stupid at politics."

"Trust me, nobody thinks that," Attia answered, feeling a little more comfortable in the room she'd set foot in only a handful of times before. She managed to make it to one of the chairs on her side of the table, but when she sat in it she could tell none of the seven who used that room ever sat in that chair. She wondered if John, Victoria, Kyra, and Chris left it for whatever outsider Finn, Chase, or Charlotte brought there.

"I just don't like it," Victoria said as she sat up, John's arms reluctantly giving up the space for her to do so. "That means that we would have to pretend to not be together, but nobody seemed to mind that at all last night."

"We talked about it after you left."

"I bet. Council never did care very much for personal affairs," Victoria commented, sounding every bit like Attia when she'd first been at Court.

"They like you," Attia told her, sensing that was the real reason behind Victoria contempt. "And they're afraid of you."

"Don't know why," Victoria said bitterly. "Everyone likes to say I'm the next Queen, but there is no ring on my finger, if they've all failed to notice."

"If a guy ever needed a hint," John put in, causing an uncontrollable smile to flash across Victoria's face. He seemed to sense it since he pressed a kiss to the back of her head, his face soft and not at all serious about the comment.

"Council likes to be in the favor of anybody who has a remote chance of calling the shots in the future, yes," Attia agreed as she held Victoria's gaze. "For a very long time, that has been you, regardless of your marital status. And nobody thinks that's going to change anytime soon, even if all of Council isn't privy to your personal affairs."

"Except they have the power to call in some Princess," Victoria pointed out.

"Princesses are overrated," Attia said.

"Hey," Charlotte said as she looked over her shoulder at Attia, who just laughed as she bit her tongue.

"Foreign Princesses who swoop in are overrated," Attia amended as she turned to look at Charlotte. The two of them had a different kind of relationship that didn't really compare to the ones Attia had with her daughter and Victoria.

"I take it she's still coming since you're here," Victoria said. Attia drew in a breath as she slowly turned her attention back to Victoria. She nodded as she held the woman's gaze.

"Yes. It was a close vote, even counting yours," Attia replied.

"What was your vote?"

"Against," Attia answered. "But I still got to keep my deal," she added and Victoria laughed as she nodded. Nobody else in the room naturally had any idea what the two were talking about, but hearing Victoria laugh was enough to lighten the mood even if just by a fraction.

"Sometimes, I think he puts more stalk into your opinion than Claudia's," Victoria admitted. Attia laughed again as she nodded. She had no grounds to deny the claim since Victoria wasn't the type to see things and not see the truth in front of her.

"When you two are running things, and Finn is at your Council table, you'll see that sometimes a King and Queen don't always run everything together, but it means nothing outside the Council meeting hall."

"So all those rumors aren't new?" Charlotte asked and Attia rose an eyebrow as she turned back to the Princess.

"What? The ones about me and your father?" Attia questioned.

"Mom, come on," Kyra sighed heavily as she withdrew completely from her game with Chris to look at her mother. "Don't say things like that."

"No, they're not new," Attia said with a laugh as she held her daughter's gaze. "And I'm sure you've heard them before, Kyra."

"She's supposed to be our sister, isn't she, John?" Charlotte asked and Kyra sent her a glare.

"She's not," Attia assured them, though she knew it was just Charlotte's free spirit nature that made her the way she was. "Whenever you want to finish going over your wedding details, I'm ready."

"Alright," Kyra replied as she smiled at her mother. Attia noticed the way Kyra played with the ring on her left hand, and how just touching the band of metal could make her smile. It reminded Attia of a necklace she'd had years ago that made her feel the same way.

"Do you know where your father is?" Attia asked suddenly as she looked at Kyra, then shifted her eyes to Chris.

"I think he's with," Chris started then trailed off as his eyes looked to Kyra then back to Attia. "I think he's with Lucas."

Attia stilled at the name, but she forced herself to nod as she stood up. "Ok," she said stiffly as she turned back to the door. As she went through Court, she noticed the preparations for the coming royal family were already in progress. Furniture was removed from some rooms in the east wing, which had been renovated some years ago, and other rooms were being rearranged to create the feel of a complete household for the visiting family.

When Attia reached Finn's office once more, she noticed he'd gotten busier, but he motioned her over to his desk right away. "Is she ok?" Finn asked without looking up at Attia. He kept his eyes glued to his desk and he hurriedly scribbled his name on certain documents and tossed others off the edge of the desk to float into the trash bin.

"She's Victoria, what do you expect?" Attia answered and Finn stilled his hand to peer up at her.

"Who is she mad at?"

"Anyone that voted for the visit," Attia said with a shrug. "She's pissed, Finn. You're bringing in a woman to go on dates with her boyfriend. I think that's grounds to be a little upset."

"It's not that simple," Finn said as he turned back to his desk and continued working.

"I don't really think she cares," Attia replied, obviously being sarcastic. Finn paused long enough to roll his eyes at the comment, but he ultimately said nothing. He obviously understood Victoria's problem with Princess Avery, but he couldn't do anything about it anymore. He'd already sent word for the family to visit.

When the door to the office opened again, Finn and Attia peered up to see Keiro walked in behind Lucas and Morgan, a sight that was enough to make Attia's entire being fill with some kind of emotion she couldn't really identify. Morgan locked eyes with Attia for only the half a second it took Morgan to realize Attia was standing right in front of her. In the next half second, Morgan had turned on her heel and left the room, leaving Keiro and Lucas, who was uncertain if he should stay or flee like his mother. Keiro gave him a careful measured smile before he touched the young man's shoulder and stepped out of the way of the doorframe. Lucas took that as a sign to leave the office as well. Keiro let the door close behind Lucas to cross the room to Finn's desk. When he reached it, he leaned over to put a kiss on Attia's cheek, but she made no move to return the sentiment.

"You have to be on your best behavior," Finn said as he looked up at Keiro.

"For what?" Keiro asked and Finn rose his eyebrow before he looked up at Attia.

"Don't look at me like that," Attia snapped at him. "I'm not his personal assistant to catch him up on all the things he misses."

Keiro's eyes lifted to Attia for a moment, before he forced him a breath and dropped his gaze to Finn once more. "What's going on?"

"The Mallery royal family is coming. Their due in two days," Finn explained quickly. He tried to return to his work, but Keiro planted his palms on the desk top and leaned over, so Finn looked up at Keiro.

"I hope you're not talking about Logan, the man whose armed forces were three feet away from Kyra," Keiro said, his words as carefully chosen as spoken. "The man who forced us to go back Inside for that wonderful trip of ours. That is who is coming?"

"You can't kill him," Finn said, his words carrying an edge of seriousness despite how extreme they were.

"Then don't bring him here," Keiro snapped.

"It's already been decided, Keiro," Finn told him simply with a shrug of his shoulders. "Council voted on it and ruled already."

"Council did?" Keiro asked as his eyes moved up to Attia. He knew as well as everyone else that Attia was on Council and knew of the decision. She narrowed her eyes at him and he forced himself to look away from her before he said something to spark a fight between them.

"Yes, Council did," Finn answered when he felt Keiro's gaze fall on him again. "We're entertaining them for a couple weeks."

"Weeks?" Attia asked and Finn let out a breath as he turned to look up at her. "You told me a few days, Finn."

"I know," he replied with a nod. He seemed more afraid about Attia finding out about the length of the stay than he did when Keiro found out about the actual visit. "But, Council felt that-"

"Oh, Council did, did they?" Attia asked before Finn could finish. "You do realize that Kyra's wedding in is eight days."

"I know," Finn said regretfully as he nodded slowly. "If we move the ceremony to the ballroom, we can-"

"No," Keiro and Attia said together at once. Finn was torn between who he should face, but ultimately decided that if one of them was to attack, Attia seemed the more likely suspect. He faced her so as to be able to more easily defend himself.

"They want an outdoor wedding in the courtyard, Finn. You know that," Attia told him strongly.

"With the Mallery family here, there's no way to organize the level of protection we would need. It's not feasible, Attia. I already went over it all with Mason, and he said that not only would all of us be open to attack during the ceremony, the Mallery family would be under guarded as well."

"Why do you think I care about any of those things?" Attia asked him and Finn groaned.

"We can push it back, then."

"No," Keiro protested simply and Finn turned to him. "You are not pushing back my daughter's wedding because you decided to bring the man who almost killed her back here."

Finn groaned again as he held Keiro's gaze. Keiro was as unlikely to agree with the idea of pushing back the wedding as Attia was, so Finn didn't even bother with a counterargument. Keiro and Attia were clever enough to come up with some kind of solution, but he just had to wait out their initial angry stage before they started brainstorming. In the back of his mind, he wondered if they'd ever get there with Morgan between them. Neither seemed willing to fill him in on the details of their personal life, but from what he could tell they weren't nearly as close as they used to be, and Morgan and her son weren't exactly helping things along with that either.

"Stop looking at me like that," Attia finally snapped and Finn peered up to see Keiro watching Attia, her eyes narrowed at him, his eyebrow raised towards her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied smoothly, and Finn wondered how much self-restraint it took her to not snap back at him.

"It's a Council meeting, Keiro. I'm not the only one there, you know," she told him finally as she took in a breath.

"Oh, so you were there?" he asked sarcastically and Attia turned away from him. She casted a glance to Finn before she brushed past Keiro and left the office. Keiro had been right about their spark. Since her office after Morgan's initial arrival, they'd done nothing but argue with each other. He hadn't tried to avoid her at nights any more, but she hardly paid him any notice. He hadn't thought it possible, but their relationship had actually become worse than it was. Before they'd had no spark but they'd at least pretended. They'd gone through the motions of sex every couple of days, and now Attia had no patience for even pretenses, and he had too much pride to admit he wanted them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Let me know what you think!**

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Finn had everyone dressed nicely to greet the Mallery royal family. Attia and Keiro stood beside each other, each with careful diplomatic smiles. Kyra and Chris were as effortlessly happy as they usually were beside each other, while little Finn was obviously putting effort into his outward appearances. Anne and Casper were their usual selves, as was their son Chase. John was more careful with his expression, while Charlotte didn't care one way or the other. Claudia's diplomatic smile was so well practiced it looked effortless but actually wasn't. On the far side, away from the royal family, Victoria was obviously annoyed to be standing with Council rather than her royal friends. It'd been so long since she'd been separated from them publically, and she obviously didn't care for it at all. King Finn tried not to see John watching her with soft reassuring eyes, but it was a hard sight not to notice.

When the Mallery royal family finally strode into Court, Victoria's forced smile looked so perfect, it could rival Claudia's. Finn stepped forward to greet the foreign King and Queen, and Claudia took one step forward. All of the royal children noticed how Claudia remained one step behind Finn, mirroring the behavior of Queen Abigail, rather than stepping forward and staying right at Finn's side as she usually did. Finn had decided not to tell the children of the different customs of the Mallery Kingdom, and Attia had been too preoccupied with Morgan to even think of that.

"Court has changed in the last ten years," King Logan commented as he peered around at his surroundings.

"It's been closer to fifteen years, I believe," Finn answered with his careful smile. King Logan let out a loud laugh as he nodded. He turned to his side and waved his arm, signaling Queen Abigail to step away from him to the side. Between them, a young woman stepped forward. Her dark hair fell in curls around her shoulders. Her skin was exotically dark, and her eyes matched. Finn couldn't stop a glance to his left to see Victoria, who stared at the Princess with such scorn Finn wondered if Victoria would actually be able to keep their delicate charade. When Finn looked over his shoulder, he noticed John's gaze hadn't left Princess Avery, which probably didn't help matters with Victoria off to the side watching the entire scene.

"My daughter, Princess Avery," King Logan announced. Avery dropped into a perfect curtsey to Finn, her head dropped, eyes lowered, until Finn reached for her delicate fingers. She rose up again and met Finn's eyes, a soft smile appearing briefly across her lips.

"It's nice to see you again, Princess," Finn told her, finding his smile required less efforts towards her. She had a sweet face that made people naturally want to smile, especially when she wore a barely there half smile as though she was too shy to smile any more than that. "My son, Prince John," Finn said without turning back. He heard John's footsteps near him, and when John appeared at Finn's side, Finn handed off Avery's fingers to John. John dutifully rose the fingers to his lips and kissed them gently before he turned the hand to its owner. Avery's smile widened briefly when she watched John, but it faded as quickly as it had come.

"Your children have grown," King Logan commented and Finn returned his attention to the other King.

"As has yours," Finn answered as he turned and motioned towards the rest of the royal family. "You remember, Prince Casper and Princess Anne," Finn said motioning to the couple. Anne released Casper's hand to curtsy to the other King, who lifted her up to her feet the way Finn had Avery.

"How could I forget such a face?" King Logan asked as he kissed Anne's fingers, his eyes casted upward to her face. Anne's cheeks flushed at the comment, and Casper would've rolled his eyes if he hadn't been so closely watched. King Logan nodded to him respectfully, and Casper returned the gesture.

"Their son, Prince Chase," Finn said motioning to Chase. "High Duke and Duchess, Lord Keiro and Lady Attia. Their son, Lord Finn. Their daughter, Lady Kyra, and her fiancé Lord Christopher," Finn said as he motioned to each person down the line.

"I don't remember the family being so large last time we were here," King Logan commented as he glanced back at the rest of the royal family he'd already walked by.

"I think the children are just bigger than they were before," Finn laughed as he motioned King Logan down a corridor to lead him away from the entrance of Court. Their Queens walked behind them, their arms linked since Queen Abigail had offered her arm to Claudia as a sign of rekindled friendship. John and Avery walked behind them, followed unceremoniously by the rest of the royal family. Nobody except John noticed when Victoria ducked away from the crowd and disappeared down a hallway.

As Finn, Claudia, and John escorted them to their rooms, everyone else disappeared. Only little Finn followed them to meet with Mason in the rooms. A number of the royal guard were there with Mason to serve as the visiting family's guard, little Finn included in them.

"Oh, I think I trust our safety here given the rumors of how well trained your men are," King Logan commented with a laugh as he locked eyes with Mason.

"We aim to keep our Royal Guard as trained as we possibly can," Mason answered diplomatically as he bowed to the King. "I've arranged for two men to follow you and your lovely wife, and I personally appointed Finn here to escort your daughter throughout Court."

"Only one for her?" King Logan asked, his tone lighthearted.

"Finn is training to be the next Commander, your Highness," Mason answered as he motioned to little Finn. "I think he's more than competent to keep her out of harm's way."

"Very well then," King Logan said as he glanced over to Finn once more. He'd not really looked at Finn at the entrance to Court, but now his eyes scanned over the young man more thoroughly.

As Avery stepped away from John, she smiled at Finn and let him show her to her room. It was down a hallway that was separate from where her parents' room was located. Finn opened the door for her and let her stepped into the room tentatively. Finn followed two steps behind her while a number of men filed in and out of the room carrying in her belongings while young women arranged them around the room. Avery ignored all the serving women to walk across the room and pull open the curtains. Her window overlooked the back courtyard of Court and she could even see the nearest village in the distance.

"That looks beautiful," Avery commented as she turned and met Finn's gaze. He smiled at her and nodded before he took another step towards the window.

"That's the market," Finn explained as he pointed to the village. "They have everything there, and it's only a short ride. We can arrange a trip there, if you'd like."

"Do they have fabric there?" Avery asked.

"Oh yes," Finn answered with a nod. "All kinds. Charlotte goes all the time with-" Finn stopped suddenly when he realized he shouldn't mention Victoria to Avery should the Princess want to meet her. "She goes with my sister to the market all the time to get fabric for new dresses."

"Charlotte is John's sister?" Avery asked and Finn nodded to her. "And your sister? Her name, again?"

"Kyra."

"Kyra," Avery repeated as she nodded and casted her eyes over the room once more. "I like that name, Kyra."

"Are you hungry, my lady?" one of the women asked as she approached Avery and curtsied quickly.

"Yes, but," Avery started then paused as she peered up to Finn once more. "Could a meal be arranged with Prince John?"

Finn stared back at her, knowing he was to accommodate her but he feared Mason and his namesake had underestimated his loyalties to his cousin. Finn cleared his throat to make up for the moments of silence then nodded quickly. "Yes, I can send word to him," Finn said as he motioned to the door. Avery smiled at him as she led the way out of the room and Finn followed her. When they appeared in the seating area once again, King Finn and King Logan looked up at the pair of them.

"Where are you headed to already, darling?" King Logan asked.

"I'd like to have lunch with Prince John," Avery answered. King Logan nodded once and Avery turned to leave the rooms the way they came in. Little Finn met King Finn's gaze, then Mason's before he ducked out of the room quickly, wondering exactly how he would manage Avery's request. He pulled aside a messenger as soon as they past one and sent word to John that Avery wanted to have lunch with him in drawing room of the east wing.

As Finn led Avery there, he sent for a meal to be brought there. Avery looked around the room curiously, her eyes taking in the new view the room had of the front of Court. The long driveway was littered with the carriages all painted the royal Mallery colors. As a few servers came into the room to set up a table in the center, Finn looked over at Avery, taking in her appearances for the first time.

She had dark hair and eyes, her skin tanner than most at Court. Her dress was styled in the traditional customs, a tightly laced corset and a skirt along with several other layers Finn couldn't actually remembering any woman wearing at Court. Except Lady Morgan, and the thought made his stomach turn. He hated thinking about Lady Morgan or Lucas even if on accident.

"Something troubling you, my lord?" Avery asked curiously and Finn turned his attention back to her. Her eyes were wider as she studied his face. Her fingers were clasped together and hanging in front of her.

"No," Finn answered as he shook his head and cleared his throat. One of the servers was setting a table cloth across the table then another set plates on each side while the first gathered utensils. They finished setting the entire table within a few minutes, and just as they retreated to the far wall of the room, John appeared in the doorway, his eyes trained on Finn, who only stared back at his cousin.

After a moment, John turned his eyes away from Finn to focus on Avery. Finn took the opportunity to shrink back to the window. "Are you hungry after your trip?" John asked curiously as he motioned to the table. Avery smiled at him as he pulled back a chair for her, then moved to sit across the table at the other place setting. The servers filled their glasses with water before putting their plates of food before them.

"Famished," Avery answered as she looked up at John once more. John found he had a difficult time keeping a smile in place. His father had already promised to him and Victoria that under no circumstances would he sign any kind of marriage contract so long as they both did everything in their power to help keep from insulting the visiting royal family. Even with the reassurance of his father's promise, John found himself worried about the entire situation. Every time Avery smiled at him and he forced one back, he thought of Victoria. Victoria, who was waiting for him in his bedroom, who he'd been with when Finn's messenger came with a lunch invitation, who'd fled the greeting of the royal family as fast as she could because she even stand the sight of a Princess, and a beautiful one at that.

While John struggled to keep conversation to a minimum but not obviously cut short, Finn leaned against the window wishing he could feel the boredom Mason had promised him. Mason had said shadowing anybody was the worst possible station in the Royal Guard, and yet Finn would rather be bored than preoccupied with the mere idea of Lady Morgan brought on by Princess Avery's choice in attire. He thought of his father and Lady Morgan and tried to imagine what had ever possessed his father to even look twice at such a woman. Of course, all the royal male children had their share of ridiculously annoying conquests, and yet in Finn's mind it seemed completely different. He'd never gotten one of them pregnant while his father most likely had. It was hard not to think that even if Finn tried his hardest to remind himself that a DNA test was still on its way. One look at Lucas and Finn couldn't deny the resemblance.

"I think a tour of the gardens sounds lovely," Avery said sweetly as she casted her eyes downward to her plate. Neither John nor Finn were astute enough to tell that the woman could read their faces effortlessly. She'd not yet figured out what had them so reserved, but she could sense it all the same.

"Perhaps sometime in the week then," John replied a she finished his plate and lifted up his glass to take a drink. "If I'm not too busy."

"Well, I'd not want to interfere with any of your work," Avery answered, allowing her eyes to drift up again. "I imagine being Crown Prince isn't such a simple role to play."

"Surely a Crown Princess would already know," John retorted.

"I'm afraid I'm lacking in the realm of politics. That is only a man's game in Mallery. A princess only marries a man her father chooses. Not such a difficult role, really."

John stared at Avery for a few seconds as he swallowed then cleared his throat. He eventually managed a nod in her direction before he stood up. Avery quickly got to her feet to match the gesture and his eyes narrowed at her quickly before he forced himself to look away. Clearing his throat again, he stepped around the table.

"Lunch was a good idea," he told her, not putting all that much effort in making the words sound sincere. "If you'll excuse me, I do have some things to attend to. If you need anything, Finn will arrange it for you."

John nodded to Avery as she curtseyed to him, a gesture that not entirely foreign to John was still unfamiliar. He just held her gaze for a second before he turned and left the room. He took the back staircase that led directly into his father's household. As he went down the hallway, he passed a number of his father's private messengers and servers, who moved out of his way as quickly as he could. John reached the seating area of his, Charlotte's, and Chase's rooms from the east wing in record time.

When he went through the door, Charlotte and Chase looked up at him, both having changed out of their formal attire as quickly as they could. Judging from the look on Charlotte's face, John assumed Victoria hadn't taken his lunch date with Avery very well. "I gave her one of my dresses because she didn't want to… go all the way back to Mom's rooms," Charlotte explained when John stepped further into the room. He stopped at the loveseat where Victoria's gown from that morning was hung over the back. John only nodded to his sister before he went towards the hallway that lead into his bedroom.

Sprawled across the bed, Victoria was dressed in one of Charlotte's cotton dresses. Her arms were wrapped around the pillow on her side of the bed, her knees bent and her feet up in the air. Though she cheeks were dry, John didn't have to stretch his imagination very far to assume she'd at least shed a few tears. The concept of Victoria crying at all was as foreign to him as a woman curtsying before him. Victoria had always been so resilient and he couldn't imagine what it was about Avery that made all those barriers around her break down.

Silently, he unbuttoned his outer coat and dropped it to the floor. He noticed Victoria's shoes lay forgotten at the foot of his bed but they were soon covered by John's shirt, then by his trousers. He changed into more comfortable clothing before crawling on the bed and putting an arm around her waist. She smiled at him weakly, her resolve to be miserable breaking when he'd kept sending grins in her direction. Within a few seconds, she turned to press her back into his chest then completely relax her form in his arms.

"Why does she bother you so much?" John asked with a heavy sigh as he smoothed her hair back and pressed kisses to any part of her skin he could reach.

Victoria remained silent, and John could feel her body tensing at the question. He rubbed his hand up and down her side to coax her muscle in relaxation. When she finally did, she craned her neck around and John pressed their lips together.

"Promise not to tell anyone?" she asked. John resisted the urge to laugh at her request. It wasn't that he hadn't taken her seriously, but that she'd questioned his loyalties at all. It certainly was a testament to how badly Princess Avery had affected her.

"Of course I won't tell anyone," he told her gently as he pressed a kiss to the corner of her lips, her cheek, her temple.

"What if-" Victoria started then stopped. She let out a breath as she turned to lay on her back, making it easier for her to look John in the eye. "What if after all of this, after they leave, after your father refuses to agree to a marriage contract, what if everyone thinks that you could've had a Princess but instead got stuck with me? That we could've had a real Princess as our Queen instead of just some rich guy's daughter?"

"Who would think that?" John questioned as he pressed a kiss to her lips again. He could tell she was serious in her concern, but he couldn't find it in himself to think it had any weight at all.

"I don't know, Council. The people who would have to agree to you marring me. If we got married. If they wanted me to be Queen. Or just people in general, John. I know you don't like to talk about it, but it's real," she told him strongly as she pushed herself up with her elbow to rise herself above him. "This is real. You are the Crown Prince, John, and I am a lady-in-waiting to your mother."

"You're on Council, Victoria. You're being trained to take over the head of finances as well, whenever Attia retires. You're not just some girl who sews all day and waits for her wedding day. You argue with me and Finn about politics. We disagree. We have a real relationship," John replied as he pulled her back down to him. He tightened his grip around her waist as he forced a kiss onto her lips despite her protest.

"You'll be King, and there's always a chance I won't be accepted as your Queen. That's real, John, and I hate that she's here," Victoria told him. He could hear it in her voice that she was close to tears. "She would be accepted as Queen before I would, no matter what."

"By ordinary people, maybe," John conceded with a shrug as though it meant nothing. When a tear fell from the corner of her eye, he knew it meant a great deal to her. "But Council would be stupid to not choose you over her any day. You know what it takes to run the Realm. You know all the ins and outs of politics. You know everything, Victoria. You're better at all this than I am, and that's why the day I ask them for permission to make you my Queen, they'll say yes, or they'll be removed and replaced at the Council table until I get the answer I want."

Victoria stared at John, a smile slowly creeping its way onto her lips. He smiled back at her before he placed another kiss on her lips. "You've never said anything about marrying me or making me Queen before. It's always been me or your parents or anybody but you."

John let out a huff of a breath as he laid back completely. Victoria aligned herself against him and snuggled against his body, letting his arms encircle her entirely. "Never thought you needed reassurances until now. Besides, since when does my opinion on anything matter? If you made yourself Queen in your head already, I don't think I've got enough power to change that in real life."

The sound of her laughter, muffled by his chest, was enough to make him smile and holder tighter to his body.


	7. Chapter 7

To keep up the pretenses of the marriage negotiations, Finn had his private Council plus select members of Council sit in on the meeting with King Logan and Queen Abigail plus any of their advisors they'd brought along. Attia sat with Mason on the left of Finn while Claudia and John sat to the right. Victoria had opted to skip the meeting and Finn had supported her decision, so of the Council members lining the wall, she was missing. On the other side of the room, King Logan and Queen Abigail sat beside each other, their advisors on each side of them, and their numerous guards from both Finn's Royal Guard as well as King Logan's army lined the walls behind them.

"And what of her responsibilities as Queen?" Finn asked as he stared at King Logan speaking about Princess Avery. It was a valid question and had everyone in the room fairly convinced he was serious about the marriage negotiations except the select few who knew otherwise.

"Her responsibilities?" King Logan repeated. He shifted in his seat to lean towards the table where he propped up his elbow. "Beyond providing a male heir?"

Finn's eyebrow rose before he could control his initial reaction. "I'm not concerned with male heirs. Females will do fine, and if there are no heirs, we have a secondary Act of Succession in place that would instate the High Duchess as Queen until her son took the throne after," Finn explained. All of that had been worked out years ago, long before their children were old enough to know if they wanted to be in politics or not. By the time they were old enough, that line of succession remained in place because Attia had gotten over any reservations she had about ruling the Realm, Princess Charlotte decided she hated politics enough to give up any rights she had to the throne should her brother not have children, and little Finn liked politics enough to take over after his mother when the time came. King Finn had absolutely no worries about the future of his Realm, nor did Claudia, who'd agreed to every bit of the secondary Act of Succession.

"She will provide male heirs," King Logan repeated, his voice laced with a bit of anger as though Finn's explanation had offended him. "What else is expected of her?"

"The Queen is expected to attended a majority of Council meetings, unless she had good cause not to such as sickness, pregnancy, or family to attend to. She's to be as involved in the inner workings of Court as the King. The Queen also inherits a number of lands by virtue of her title and will be expected to maintain them herself or find a suitable property manager to do so on her behalf. The Queen also runs her own household and personally selects her ladies-in-waiting."

"None of that is handled by you? Nor will it be by your son?" King Logan asked, eyes narrowing at Finn. Finn drew in a breath as he reminded himself of the roles of women in Mallery. He glanced to the side to Claudia, who only met his gaze, her diplomatic face in full effect. When he turned to the other side and glanced at Attia, he saw she wasn't as good at keeping her face in place, though with the added stress of Morgan at Court, Finn was glad she hadn't yet made some kind of outburst.

"No," Finn answered finally. "As of right now, Lady Attia handles the Queen's personal lands and accounts as well as the personal finances of the entire royal family, but those jobs aren't under her title as High Duchess. When my son takes the throne with whomever he marries, they are free to appropriate those jobs to whomever they feel fit. The daily workings of Court are dependent on those the King keeps closest around him, and his Queen will need to fit into that."

"She knows nothing of politics or of finance. She knows all the things that are expected of a woman."

"In Mallery," Finn added, and King Logan's eyes narrowed suddenly. The room fell quiet for a few moments even as John leaned over and whispered in his mother's ear. Claudia's face remained unmoved as she listened to her son, then leaned to her other side to relay the message to Finn.

"He said don't try too hard or we won't have a Crown Prince at all at the end of the month," Claudia said. Finn let out a dry laugh as he peered over at his son. John met and held Finn's gaze, completely serious in his threat.

"I'd say don't worry too hard about that," Finn told him, carefully choosing his words as vaguely as possible.

"Don't really think that's going to be very possible," John responded as he shifted his eyes straight forward. His eyes focused on some point on the wall between Attia and Mason. John drew in a deep breath and sighed as he leaned back in his chair, obviously uninterested in the meeting.

"What is your concern?" King Logan asked, his gaze shifted between John and Finn, unsure of where to settle.

"What will become of Mallery afterwards?" Finn asked. "You have no other children and if she's to be Queen here, what will become of your Kingdom?"

"Your son will rule."

John let out a huff at the words as he turned and met King Logan's gaze. "Are you kidding?" John questioned, not even bothering with going through the process of telling his father his concerns before voicing them. "That's doubling the size of my lands, and Mallery isn't nearly as developed, and you're plan is to make that my problem?"

"John," Finn sighed as he turned to look at his son, but John held King Logan's gaze.

"You've no official academy, no real infrastructure. A bare minimum of crops to support your population, and I'm to inherit all that and all I get out of it in return is kids? I'll take the Queen's lands here and manage them on my own if she keeps Mallery and runs it all by herself."

"She knows not how to do such a thing."

"Sounds like a problem, doesn't it?" John questioned as he stood up from the table. "I have other things to attend to today," he announced simply as he turned and started to leave the room. Finn watched John leave, aware he'd lost any patience he had to feign interest in Princess Avery. When the door shut behind John, Finn met King Logan's gaze, but his attention was pulled to the side when Attia leaned over the table towards him. Finn leaned towards her as well.

"I don't think this will hold up for very long. He won't keep this act if Victoria can't handle it," Attia said softly to Finn so only he could pick up her words. Finn nodded to her as he went back to his seat entirely.

"I agree," Finn said rather diplomatically to give the effect that Attia's comment had pertained to the serious nature of the negotiations. "But I don't know what to do about it."

"Why don't we arrange a trip to the market for the next few days and pick up these negotiations after," Attia suggested as she turned her head to King Logan half way through the comment.

"That sounds wonderful," Queen Abigail said as she smiled then turned to look up at her husband.

"Why don't the ladies go, then," Finn suggested as he turned to Attia, then Claudia. "And we'll talk tomorrow again. Perhaps, less formally," Finn added as he turned across the table to look at King Logan. After a few moments, the other King nodded then turned to his wife to smile in her direction.

The next day, Mason, little Finn, and Attia selected a number of guards to accompany Attia, Claudia, Anne, Queen Abigail, and Princess Avery to the market. All the guards sat mounted on their horses as Attia and Mason walked by the front of them. Mason read off their names and any additional side comments he might have for each man, and Attia just nodded along as she followed him. She'd become less involved in the Royal Guard over the years, but she and Mason conversed enough on a regular basis for her to still know and trust a select few of the Royal Guard.

"I think that'll work, Mason," Attia finally said after they'd gotten to the last man. Mason nodded to her before he waved his arm up, signaling the men to form two lines the proceeded to the front of Court, little Finn leading them on his own horse. Mason turned over his shoulder and whistled, calling over a groom leading Mason's horse. After Mason secured himself onto his horse's saddle, he held down his hand for Attia's hand, then used his strength to pull her up to his saddle behind him. The ride to the front of Court was short, and Attia slide back down to the ground just as Claudia and Queen Abigail walked out of Court arm in arm. Anne and Avery followed them and the four joined Attia while they waited for their carriage to arrive.

In the larger carriages, the five women could be seated more or less comfortably with Claudia on side and Anne and Attia on either side of her. Queen Abigail and her daughter had the other side of the carriage to themselves. They traveled the short distance to the market in that manner, with a line of guards on each side of the carriage led by Mason and Finn. When they reached the market, Attia slipped out of the carriage first, followed by Avery, then Claudia, Anne, and finally Queen Abigail. Claudia moved to stand between Princess Avery and Queen Abigail to better speak with each of them and keep either of them from bothering Attia, who followed behind them with Anne. Mason walked one step behind Attia and Anne while Finn walked on the side of his mother and behind Princess Avery. The other guards formed a loose boundary around the group of women, their eyes peeled for any sign of movement.

The market was half indoor and half out, and over the years had been cleaned up and modernized to feature electrical lights and other amenities Court and other urban areas enjoyed. Attia had no interest in paying much attention to what was going on, but she'd gone on the trip solely to get out of Court and away from Keiro and Morgan and Lucas, and any combination of the three. Anne and Claudia were aware of her reasons for going on the trip, so neither questioned her motives or her silence.

As they passed a store featuring racks of rolled fabrics, Princess Avery touched Claudia's arm while she stared at the store, her eyes moving up and down the racks until her eyes landed on a roll of a vibrant blue fabric. Claudia smiled at the girl's interest before she led the group into the store. Claudia, Princess Avery, and Queen Abigail went to the blue fabric that caught Avery's attention while Anne and Attia went in their own direction, pulling only Mason and two other guards while the rest went with the Queens or remained at the door of the store.

"What do you think of these?" Anne asked suddenly and Attia forced her attention to her. Anne was holding up a roll of lace she'd partially unrolled so she could see the detailing. "For the trim on Kyra's gown," Anne added, fully attracting Attia's attention.

"It's nice," Attia told her simply. She cared about the details of Kyra's wedding, she just didn't have the attention to detail necessary to really take part in all the decisions.

As a saleswoman approached the pair, Anne asked for a length of the trim, then offered the woman payment in the form of gold coins. As the woman bagged the lace, Claudia, Queen Abigail, and Avery approached her to ask for a length of the blue fabric plus a number of other things such as pearl beading and lace.

"Going to have a gown designed?" Anne asked sweetly as she looked over at Avery. The Princess met Anne's smile before she casted her eyes downward in shyness. Claudia paid for the Princess' materials then Mason took the bag of goods to carry for the women.

"You should look into having a gown designed in the latest Court fashions," Claudia suggested as she looked over at Avery. "It takes less fabric, and you might find you like it better. It's lighter than the traditional gowns."

"Perhaps I'll meet with a designer then," Avery responded with a soft smile as the women left the shop and continued down the market way. They stopped every so often to look at different things. Sometimes little knick knacks, sometimes jewelry or accessories. Eventually, they grew hungry, and Claudia pointed the group to a small restaurant where they would have the privacy to dine without interruptions. After they were all seated, Mason and Finn lined the walls with a few other men while the rest guarded the front and back entrances of the buildings.

Attia had maintained her quietness for the majority of the trip, so Queen Abigail peered up at her just as Attia reached for her glass. "Still no wedding ring, then?" Queen Abigail asked and Attia looked up to find a wide smile across the Queen's face, a sign of the woman's sense of humor.

"No," Attia answered her, and allowed a brief but real smile to cross her lips. "Still no ring."

"Something tells me that's perhaps a good thing," Queen Abigail answered as she glanced down to rearrange her napkin before she met Attia's gaze once more. "Means nothing too drastic has changed over the years we've been apart."

"I suppose that's one way of looking at it," Attia replied simply. "I'd say sometimes a lack of change can be a problem in and of it's own."

"I should hope that is not the case between you and the High Duke. I liked you together too well last time to take any news like that easily."

"I don't remember you liking us that much," Attia admitted and the corner of Queen Abigail's lips twitched up quickly before her smile returned.

"I think you were too preoccupied with him to have taken notice," Queen Abigail explained as she collapsed her fingers together over her lap. Once glance to the side told Attia that Avery had done the same while she, Claudia, and Anne kept their idle fingers busy by keeping a hold on their glasses.

"I admit that may have been the case," Attia said, a ring of truth to her voice that even Mason and Finn were able to identify. Only Mason, however, noticed when Attia's comment caused Finn's shoulders to relax even if just slightly. "Either way, lack of change… or addition to my ring collection, if you will, is not a problem."

"That comforts me," Queen Abigail answered with an honest smile as she held Attia's gaze. "You're the kind of woman my mother used to tell me about. It's nice to have known you, even if just briefly. Even if we've spent more time at odds than in agreement, and even if our affections for each other are one-sided."

"What did your mother used to tell you?" Attia asked, deciding not to touch on the last part of Queen Abigail's comment.

"That in the realm where nobility, royalty, and politics intersect, a woman can still have a place among the men in the ranks, so long as she knows how to survive. From the day I met you, I saw you were a survivor by nature. Though I've been blessed to reach high places by virtue of my marriage, you've done the same in a much more… honest and difficult manner, a manner where your marriage, or lack thereof, has no role in it. Something I've always admired you for."

"You said something like that to me once before," Attia replied, after swallowing. Between thoughts of Morgan and Lucas, and Kyra's wedding, Attia found herself stretched thin and unable to keep up a level of conversation she usually would have been able to.

"I'm surprised and honored you recall that," Queen Abigail said with a brighter smile than before. "As I remember, I may have offended you without meaning to and thought perhaps my convoluted apology was forgotten or not entirely heard in your anger towards me."

"I wouldn't survive Court if I couldn't hear the things people don't say, let alone the things they do," Attia answered. Queen Abigail nodded once and smiled to Attia before she turned her attention to Claudia once more.


	8. Chapter 8

Keiro wasn't sure if Attia being away from Court for the day was a blessing or a curse. Part of him was really glad she'd decided to stay away from Morgan and Lucas at all costs, yet at the same time that forced him to interact with the two on his own. As he sat on one side of the table, Morgan sat at the head, her husband right beside her on the other side. Lucas was across from Keiro, and Keiro found he had a bit of a difficult time meeting the young man's gaze. Of the times Keiro actually managed to keep his gaze on Lucas, the young man seemed too shy or uninterested to return the gaze. In addition, he'd been unwilling to be in Keiro's company without his mother and stepfather, which created a bit of a barrier and ultimately forced Keiro to interact solely with Morgan, something he'd never dreamed of doing again.

"Court food has improved since I left," Morgan commented suddenly. Keiro fought the urge to roll his eyes as he turned to her. He took a long drink of his wine all while holding Morgan's gaze.

"We got gas stoves now. Cooks food more evenly. At least that's what they tell me," Keiro answered, though truthfully he didn't give a damn about stoves and how they were powered. He'd not had a moment along with Morgan either, so he still had a few burning questions he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to ask in front of Lucas or even Morgan's husband.

"Vivian said they got big industrial sewing machines in the Seamstress' Office as well. It put girls out of work, but Vivian liked working with her hands anyway."

"Yeah, that's fascinating," Keiro said sarcastically as he turned away from Morgan and stabbed his lunch with his fork and left the utensil there.

"Something bothering you, Your Grace?" Morgan asked, purposely using the greeting to grate on Keiro's last nerve.

"You're so-"

"I'd watch the end of that sentence in front of my son," Morgan warned, feeling rather empowered in the last few days. Keiro said nothing as he put his elbow on the table and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "No wedding band, Keiro? I'm surprised considering how Attia so likes to remind everyone of her title."

Keiro casted a glance back at Morgan, his every emotion flashing in his eyes. She could see it as plainly as he could feel them, and when her lips pulled up into a coy smile, he nearly hurled his plate at her. "We never actually married, Morgan, and you know that well enough."

"Guess I forget when she's flaunting it around all the time."

"Well, if you'd not married a country boy, maybe you'd like to flaunt around your title as well," Keiro snapped back at her. Morgan's face hardened instantly, but Keiro didn't feel bad enough to care at all.

"Don't say things like that about him," Lucas said suddenly and Keiro turned to the other blonde in the room. Keiro rose an eyebrow at him, amazed the young man could talk at all give he never said more than ten words to Keiro since he got to Court. "Titles don't mean anything," he added after a moment of silence. His gaze shifted around the room under Keiro's gaze, until he finally settled his eyes on his plate, his hand fidgeting in his lap.

"They help fill your bed," Keiro told him, opting not to further insult the boy's stepfather. "That's how that works, right?" he questioned as he turned to Morgan with a mocking smile across his face. Morgan huffed at him as she turned away from his gaze, aware of the insinuation in his words.

"I suppose if the girls are desperate enough," Morgan finally commented, her voice carrying an air of superiority.

"That's what Attia used to tell me," Keiro answered, deflating Morgan's momentary victory. "Guess she was right back then."

"I imagine she's right fairly often."

"Just like you," Keiro answered with a laugh as he turned away from her to face Lucas once more. Lucas' gaze was still on his lunch like the dead meat was more interesting than the man his mother named as his father. Keiro rolled his eyes as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Leaving Court was the best decision I made," Morgan put in as though it were an answer to Keiro's latest comment.

"Yeah, well, if you'd stuck around any longer, I might've had a heads up that you were running away with a kid. And back then being prematurely pregnant was bit of a stigma, wasn't it?"

Morgan suddenly had no reservations as she swiftly swung her leg under the table towards Keiro's leg. She felt her heel connect with his leg and the initial clash registered across his face briefly before he straightened his expression. He turned to her with narrowed eyes and she held his gaze just as stubbornly. He couldn't remember her being so confrontational when they'd been sharing his bed all those years ago, and yet part of him felt like if she had their run might've lasted a bit longer. Arguing was always much more entertaining than having some fake conversation with a girl. When he realized arguing had been the basis of his relationship with Attia, the only woman to stick around in his life, he sucked in a breath and turned away from Morgan. He kept his eyes on Lucas, even if the young man had no intentions of looking at or speaking to Keiro. That didn't really matter to him all that much, since all he could think about was getting Attia alone as soon as he possibly could.

When Keiro finally excused himself from the table, Morgan stood up with him, pulling his attention to her. "There's something I need to speak to you about."

"I can't imagine you have much else to say," Keiro told her bitterly as he turned and started towards the door in a gesture of dismissal. Morgan, however, was not a woman to be lightly casted aside, even if she had been in the past. She followed him to the door and out of the room, before he finally turned back to her. "What?"

"What are you planning to do, Keiro?" she questioned as she looked up at him. Her face wasn't carefully controlled but genuine as she waited for his answer.

"About what?" Keiro asked impatiently.

"Your son," Morgan answered. "You've no legitimate children, and he's the eldest."

"And?" Keiro pressed as he narrowed his eyes at her cautiously.

"That puts him first in line for inheriting your title and lands," Morgan answered. Keiro's face stilled as he stared at Morgan, the implications of her words settling in completely. He forced himself to swallow and suck in a breath before he turned and started down the hallway. He was grateful that Morgan didn't follow since he didn't think he had any more energy to argue with her. In fact, if he was going to use up any of his energy stores, it was going to be vomiting until the sick feeling in his stomach went away, but he had a feeling it had nothing to do with the contents of his stomach.

He made his way to Finn's office, but when he got there, he couldn't actually remember walking there. "I need to talk to you," Keiro declared simply as he stared across the room at Finn, who seemed to take notice of Keiro's pale face since he quickly evacuated the room regardless if there was still some unfinished business. Keiro forced in another breath as he started to cross the room after the door closed behind the last person to leave. Finn stood up from his desk and held Keiro's gaze. When Keiro finally reached the desk, he leaned over to rest his palms of the edges of the desk, his arms supporting part of his weight.

"What is it?" Finn finally pressed, since Keiro seemed to be in no hurry to share.

"Legally, are Finn and Kyra legitimate children?" Keiro asked suddenly, and Finn sat down. Keiro lifted his eyes to meet Finn's gaze.

"Council would never doubt their paternity," Finn answered, as though Keiro needed the reassurance.

"Yes, but legally, Finn."

"No, on paper they're children conceived out of wedlock," Finn said as he swallowed, not liking anywhere Keiro's morbid conversation was going. "But what difference does it make, Keiro?"

"So, when that DNA test comes back," Keiro replied, ignoring Finn's comment.

"Lucas is an out of wedlock child as well," Finn answered Keiro's implied question.

"And when Morgan goes storming into Council declaring that Lucas is my eldest child of all illegitimate children?" Keiro questioned as he held Finn's gaze with a dark look in his eyes that Finn didn't care for in the slightest.

"They'll rule that the title of High Duke will go to him instead of Finn," he answered, feeling a little sick as well. Keiro groaned loudly as he swung his arm and knocked a cup of pens and pencils off of Finn's desk rather dramatically. The cup flew across the room and pens scattered around on the floor, but neither man made any movement to pick them up. "Is that what Lucas said he wanted?" Finn finally asked.

Keiro pushed off of the desk to stand up straight, his arms going up to the top of his head. He groaned again as he walked in a circle then looked up at Finn again. "It's what Morgan threatened, basically. Lucas hasn't said more than twenty words to me, except when I inadvertently insulted Morgan's husband when I was trying to call her a whore without using that exact terminology."

"Guess if she couldn't be High Duchess, she wants her son to be High Duke," Finn commented.

"Thank you, Finn!" Keiro yelled at him sarcastically. "That's a lot of help. I'm glad I came to you! So when Attia murders me tonight for fucking some other girl before her, you can have than engraved on my tombstone."

"What do you want me to do, Keiro?" Finn questioned, his voice raising in volume as he became defensive. "It's not like we have loopholes for this."

"Well, we should!" Keiro yelled back and Finn groaned as he rolled his eyes. "That kid likes his stepfather more than he likes me, Finn. And that's not my fault. I'm not the one who holed him up in the country his entire life. I didn't not want to be with him. I didn't even know he existed! And she came back like a fucking bitch, Finn!"

"You're the one who slept with her, Keiro," Finn replied sharply as he stood up.

"I'm aware," Keiro snapped back as he glared at Finn. "I remember, I was there, too, Finn."

"Well, this is a consequence of that, and there's nothing I can do to change it."

"Just because I didn't fall in love with the first pretty girl I saw, doesn't mean I deserve this," Keiro said strongly as he held his glare in Finn's direction. Finn fought back another eye roll as he pulled in a measured breath and let it out slowly.

"Why don't you have a real conversation with Lucas?" Finn suggested finally as he sat down again.

"He refuses to talk to me, Finn," Keiro said simply as he shrugged. "He won't even stay in the same room as me without Morgan. He either doesn't give a shit about me or who I am, or he's pissed at me, and I can't tell which."

"He has grounds for either."

"You can put that on my tombstone, too. You should start writing these down."

Finn glared up at Keiro before he rolled his eyes and accepted that Keiro was rightfully angry. Though Keiro's anger was momentarily misplaced towards Finn, he was right about one thing. It wasn't his fault Morgan had kept his son from him and expected Keiro to accommodate her and the child without ever knowing the child existed at all. Finn understood Keiro didn't really know how to handle that situation, and Finn didn't offer any advice only because had no idea either.

"What do I tell Finn?" Keiro asked finally, his voice sounding desperate and as though the words were physically painful for him to say. Finn held Keiro's gaze, his look sympathetic. Finn was the child Keiro had raised from birth. The boy he taught how to hold a sword and how to ride a horse. Lucas was a stranger to him who looked like a mirror that reflected the past. At first Keiro thought the resemblance nice. He had some uncontrollable feeling of pride that at least one of his children resembled him so closely. Neither Kyra nor Finn had any of his features, he hadn't thought.

Now, however, Keiro realized Kyra and Finn were more like him than he'd ever really thought. They were biting and sarcastic, something Keiro had always attributed to Attia, but realized he had as well. Kyra was easy going like Keiro and stubborn as hell whenever she wanted to be. Lucas was none of those things, and if he was Keiro had no way of finding out since Lucas seemingly had no intentions to speak to him. Lucas might be his child based on genetics and one late night, but Chris was more Keiro's child than Lucas could ever be, and Keiro believed that wholeheartedly.

"I don't know," Finn said with a heavy sigh. "Maybe he won't mind that much," he said hopefully but Keiro shook his head. It wasn't about the title. Little Finn didn't care about the title. It was what it meant for Keiro to pass his title to someone else that was the tricky part. Keiro had a sickening feeling that to Finn it would appear as though some random stranger was more important to Keiro than Finn himself.

"Yeah, and maybe when Attia leaves me, he'll go right alongside her."

"I don't think she'll leave you, Keiro," Finn said seriously, able to tell Keiro's exaggerations from his honest fears. Attia won't kill him in the middle of the night, even if she was capable, but Keiro apparently believed she would leave him.

"You don't know that," Keiro accused as he looked up to Finn again. "She already hates Morgan. She hates Morgan so much, and to give Lucas my title instead of Finn? To give Morgan my title over her?"

"That's not what it is, Keiro," Finn replied.

"It will be to her."

The two men stayed in the silence as Keiro walked up and down the room. His heart was beating too fast, his hands felt too warm, his face too cold. Finn remained at his desk, being present for Keiro since there was nothing else he could do. He wanted to do something, to do anything, but until he sat with his personal Council to talk it over, he could think of nothing. Or course, Attia was on his personal Council, and he had a feeling she wouldn't be very helpful in the matter.

"I don't know how to be alone," Keiro finally said, pulling Finn's attention to the present.

"You won't be alone," Finn repeated, trying to make his voice sound completely, absolutely certain. Keiro's admission was probably one of the only real honest things he'd ever said to Finn, and Finn wanted desperately to reassure him, except some deep cold part o his heart had the same lingering doubts Keiro's obviously had. It felt too real, too possible to ignore the idea of Attia leaving him, and that was what made that little piece of them run cold in absolute fear.

* * *

**Thoughts?**


	9. Chapter 9

He wanted Attia or Finn desperately, but they were both away at the market, so instead Keiro went in search of Kyra. King Finn had offered him little to no reassurances but through no fault of his own. When Keiro found Kyra, she was with Chris, the pair of them enjoying each other's company so blissfully that it inspired a pang of jealousy that he quickly pushed away as fast as he could. Kyra deserved to be happy. Chris deserved to be happy as well, but at the moment Keiro could only focus on the girl was just like her mother in all the perfect ways.

"What are you up to?" he asked curiously as he approached them. They were startled as they quickly disentangled their arms, though Keiro found their display of affection less sickening than it used to be.

"Just walking," Kyra answered with a smile as she looked up at her father. She had a flower tucked behind her ear like she always had when she'd been just a girl. "Surveying the courtyard for our wedding in five days," she said gleefully as she turned her eyes up to Chris. He returned the smile, his eyes shining brighter and brighter as they lingered on Kyra even after she looked away. Keiro always liked that about Chris, even if he wasn't fond of anybody looking like that his daughter. But if they had to, he liked that Kyra had someone who looked at her as though she were the most perfect thing in the world. She deserved that at the very least in Keiro's mind.

"How are all those wedding preparations?" Keiro asked, realizing he knew nothing of them.

"Well," Kyra answered brightly as she stepped to her father and pushed herself up to kiss his cheek in a belated greeting. "Anne said she'd look for any cute trims for my gown at the market. I can't wait to see my dress."

"It'll be beautiful no matter what," Chris said before Keiro could. Keiro laughed as he nodded in agreement to Kyra, who blushed at the comment. Kyra seemed to not know of any of the changes Finn had made to her wedding, and Keiro certainly didn't want to bring them up, so as Kyra continued on with her explanation of the wedding, he said nothing.

"I'm happy you're happy," Keiro said truthfully as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Kyra beamed up at him, but her face fell suddenly. Keiro saw her reach for Chris' hand and tighten her fingers around his tightly. As Keiro looked over his shoulder, he saw that it was Morgan's husband who'd caused the change in Kyra's demeanor.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," he said as he turned his eyes from Kyra to Keiro. He cleared his throat as he took one step into the courtyard, then stopped. Keiro held the man's gaze, his eyes narrowing as he tried to piece together the other man. He'd spent hours going over all the possible motives Morgan or Lucas could have for coming to Court so suddenly and they ranged from the genuine to the cutthroat. However, Keiro had never considered Morgan's husband, who had virtually nothing to gain by the trip.

"What do you want?" Keiro asked finally, his voice not quite as harsh as he'd intended it to be. He stayed where he was with Kyra and Chris behind him, though Keiro couldn't really pinpoint what it was that had him on edge around Morgan's husband.

"Nothing," he answered, and Keiro's eyes narrowed at him. "Just walking. I don't like to be inside, and I obviously am not accustomed to Court the way Morgan is."

It was a tense silence as the other man started to turn to head in a different direction, Keiro's eyes locked on him. The man, whose name Keiro finally remembered as Dean, was almost around the hedge of bushes lining the courtyard when he turned back to Keiro. "He didn't mean to argue, you know," Dean added as he met and held Keiro's gaze. "Lucas, I mean. He's just…"

Keiro rose an eyebrow as he purposely kept himself from responding. He wanted to know what it was Dean thought of Lucas. Dean, however, cleared his throat and shook his head before he turned and walked briskly away from Keiro and his daughter.

"What happened?" Chris asked when Keiro turned back to him and Kyra.

"I may have implied that Morgan's husband is uh… lesser by virtue of lacking a title in front of Lucas," Keiro answered and Chris actually let out a single dry huff of a laugh.

"How did he like that, then?"

"Not particularly well," Keiro admitted, then dropped the conversation when he noticed how just the mention of Lucas' name affected Kyra. "You know, he doesn't change anything, Kyra," Keiro said to her, realizing he'd not actually spoken to Kyra about it directly. He'd told Finn and Chris, but he hadn't spoken to them about how they felt at all either.

"Doesn't it?" Kyra questioned as she held Keiro's gaze.

"No," Keiro repeated as he reached out to tuck the flower behind her ear more securely when he noticed it had started to fall. "You're not any less my daughter because he's here. And Finn isn't any less my son, and I don't love Chris any less either. Nothing has changed."

Kyra nodded as she bit her tongue and casted a glance up at Chris. She let out a laugh that reminded Keiro all too much of Attia. "You realize that my room is just down the hall from yours and Mom's and that we can hear you when you're screaming at each other all night, right?" she asked as she cleared her throat and held Keiro's gaze.

"Well, I do know," Keiro finally answered her. Why it hadn't occurred to him that Kyra and Chris might be able to hear them was beyond him, and he actually felt a bit ashamed given some of the things Attia and he had said to each other over the last few nights. Kyra scoffed at the answer as she started to turn away, but Keiro caught her elbow before she could get away. "I'm sorry, Kyra, I didn't know that," Keiro told her.

"You're sorry that we heard or that you said some of those things?"

"A little of both," Keiro told her, deciding that Kyra, the youngest of his children, was no longer a child and deserved to be treated as an adult. "Morgan and Lucas changes some things, but it doesn't change anything with you."

"It's not just about me," Kyra told him as she turned to meet his gaze again. "What about Finn?"

"What about him?" Keiro asked.

"Have you talked to him at all?" Kyra pressed. When Keiro didn't respond right away, she turned to Chris.

"Well," Keiro started, and forced himself to remember to treat he like an adult. "No, I haven't."

"Maybe you should, then," Kyra said strongly, sounding more like Attia scolding him than a daughter speaking to him.

"I will," Keiro promised her, but it did nothing to make her feel better. She only nodded at him, obviously humoring his attempt to appease her, before she grabbed Chris' hand and walked away, leaving Keiro alone in the courtyard.

The next time he saw Kyra, she was in Finn's office, Chris standing just a few feet away from her. Finn was standing behind his desk as he tried to get a word in, but Kyra, who'd seemed to be channeling her mother that day, wasn't giving Finn three seconds to take a breath let alone speak.

"You can't just make changes to my wedding and not even tell me! Nobody asked me if I wanted them to come from Mallery, and yet they have more say in my wedding than I do! They're complete strangers and now they're invited to my wedding?"

"Kyra, I-" Finn started but stopped when Kyra continued on. Finn was not her King, but her uncle who'd crossed a few too many lines in making changes to her wedding day.

"I don't care!" Kyra yelled at him. "I go to the kitchen and ask what the chef thinks of my plans for our dinner that night, and he tells me that he's already started ordering ingredients from around the Realm to make over three hundred meals on your orders!"

"Kyra," Keiro called from the doorway. Finn had been unsuccessful in getting Kyra to stop yelling, but her father had more success. She didn't turn her gaze away from Finn, but her lips sealed and she remained silent as Keiro crossed the room to approach her. "It's not Finn's fault."

"You knew," she accused as she shifted her eyes up to him.

"I didn't want to upset you."

"That obviously worked," Kyra replied sarcastically and Keiro sighed as he leaned forward to kiss her forehead gently.

"We're doing everything we can to keep your wedding as much as what you'd like," Keiro assured her, but one look at her face said she didn't believe him in the slightest.

"Are they coming?" Kyra asked suddenly, her eyes glued to Keiro.

"King Logan and Queen Abigail?" Keiro asked. "Yes, that's part of why we moved it to the ballroom."

"Not them," Kyra replied and Keiro drew in a breath as he turned to Finn. Keiro hadn't even though of Morgan and Lucas, but Finn apparently had. He cleared his throat as he turned his gaze to Kyra and sighed.

"Well, there's going to be so many people there that-" Finn stopped when Kyra turned on her heel and stormed out of the room before he could even finish. The door shut behind her loudly, leaving the room in a tense silence. Finn and Keiro looked at each other before they glanced to Chris, who'd remained in the room. "This is a disaster," Finn declared as he dropped back down to his seat and buried his face in hands.

"Who'd have thought a Princess and Morgan could've turned the entire fucking world over in a matter of hours," Keiro commented bitterly and Finn actually laughed at the comment as he nodded.

"I'll handle Kyra if you talk to Victoria," Finn said and Keiro rose an eyebrow at him.

"What? Because I'm so good at handling these kinds of situations?" Keiro questioned.

"We've obviously both failed already at whatever we've done, so we might as well try something new," Finn told him sharply. "Just go talk to her. You have no invested interest in Princess Avery, so she might tell you something helpful."

"What? Like how to set fire to silk dresses?" Keiro said sarcastically as he started towards the door of the office. Before he passed through the threshold, however, he called Chris, who followed him quickly. "Where is Victoria usually?" she asked as Chris reached his side.

"Usually? In Finn's office, or with Attia doing some kind of Court business stuff that she does," Chris answered with a shrug. "But lately? She's been holed up in John's room all day long. She won't even leave the seating area. Charlotte's been giving her clothes so she doesn't have to go to her room at all."

"That bad?" Keiro questioned as he looked to Chris.

"She's not handling Avery very well," Chris admitted. "And Finn's been following her, so we can't even all get together anymore, and that's upsetting Victoria also. And now with the wedding, Kyra's not really…"

"I saw," Keiro said and Chris only nodded. "Guess we've all been too preoccupied with our lives to notice yours."

"It's alright," Chris answered as he shrugged.

"I doubt Kyra and Victoria share those sentiments."

"And Charlotte's being petty about no longer being the only Princess around here," Chris added, and the two men shared a laugh as Chris motioned to a corner for them to take to John's room. As they stepped into the seating area, Chris moved to walk in front of Keiro, whose eyes scanned across the room. Charlotte and Chase were playing a game of cards across the coffee table, as they always did when they were both in the room.

"Is Victoria here?" Keiro asked as he turned his eyes away from the open bottles of alcohol and dirty glasses on the bar to focus on Charlotte and Chase.

"She's in John's room," Charlotte answered as she looked up momentarily at Chris, then at Keiro. Chris nodded as he went down the hallway that passed John's bathroom and ended at his bedroom door. Keiro remained in the main seating area as he watched Charlotte and Chris go back to their card game. When Chase lost his fifth game in a row, Charlotte put her cards down victoriously then grinned at him. Chase glared across the table at her as he gathered the cards to shuffle them.

"If you want to stop losing, maybe you should get those pocket aces she'd got taped to the bottom of the table," Keiro commented. Charlotte's faced blanched as he eyes widened in fear.

"I can't believe you!" Chase yelled as he moved the table with one push and reached under on Charlotte's side to pull two cards from the bottom of the table she'd taped there. "You're such a cheat, Charlotte."

"She's had those there all week, Chase. If you hadn't been so preoccupied with your latest victim, you'd have caught on a little sooner," Victoria commented from the far side of the room. Keiro turned to see Chris following Victoria out of the hallway, but his eyes stayed on Victoria. He'd never seen her so carelessly put together before, though he figured that if she had no intentions of leaving the seating area of John's room, she had no reason to comb her hair.

"How are you?" Keiro asked her as she crossed the rest of the room and sat down on the couch. Chase had put the table back after returning the rest of the cards to the desk so Victoria put her legs up on the table. She didn't care that her feet were right in the middle of Charlotte and Chase's game, and they just rearranged themselves to play across the other side of the table.

"Fine," Victoria told him as she held his gaze.

"Finn asked me to come see you," Keiro explained when he noticed Victoria's eyes narrowing at him. At his explanation, she nodded softly before she leaned back. "He's worried about you."

"Which one?"

"The King," Keiro told her and she nodded again.

"I haven't been going to any Council meetings," Victoria admitted. "John said they're all about his marriage negotiations anyway. Apparently, King Logan wanted to tack on all of Mallery onto the Realm through their marriage and stick John with the problem of ruling all of it."

"I have a feeling that's not really your main concern with it all," Keiro said as he sat down on the armchair at the end of the coffee table.

"He said he didn't expect me to come to them," Victoria replied, sounding suddenly defensive.

"He didn't ask me to tell you to go to any Council meetings. Only to talk to you and make sure you hadn't lost your sanity yet. Apparently you have no human interaction outside this room."

"Everyone I see regularly comes here," Victoria countered. "Except Attia, but she's too concerned with Lady Morgan right now, anyway. And Finn, but he's busy following around that bitch."

"I'll let big Finn know how you feel about her then," Keiro said sarcastically, and Victoria's lips pulled up in a smile.

"I'm fine," Victoria told him seriously as she held his gaze. "Just don't feel like going around pretending not to be in love with John while she's here."

"Fair enough then," Keiro told her as he stood up and turned to leave the room. His hand was on the doorknob of the half open door when he turned back to Charlotte and Chase. "You'd also win a few more games if you didn't sit in front of a mirror, Chase," he said. Chase looked up at Keiro, but he'd already left the room. Charlotte averted her eyes as she and Victoria grinned, and Chase whipped around to see a mirror hanging behind the bar angled at his back. When he realized Charlotte was able to see his hand the entire game, the two women in the room burst out laughing.


	10. Chapter 10

Attia promised Kyra that she would do everything in her power to fix her wedding. Despite the fact that it was in five days, Attia assured Kyra that she would have her dream wedding. Getting it all to happen, however, was more difficult that Attia had thought. For one, it required that she and Keiro stop arguing long enough to actually get things done for their daughter. That happened to work in Keiro's favor because it kept Attia too busy to make the realization Keiro and Finn had made about Lucas and the High Duke title. Attia also had to find time between all of Finn's negotiations with King Logan to get all the plans finalized. Getting, Finn, Claudia, Anne, and Casper to agree to her new plan was easy. Getting Charlotte, Chase, John, Victoria, and little Finn in the loop without Kyra and Chris finding out proved to be more difficult. Attia, ever determined to get what she wanted, eventually found a way to get all the important people in her plan.

At her desk, she was pretending to work, though she was just avoiding another Council meeting. She'd already finished all that needed to be done for Kyra's wedding, so when she heard a knock at her door, she assumed it meant somebody had some problem they expected her to fix. When Ronan walked into her office, however, her face softened as she stood up. He shut the door behind him and started towards her. He was old by then, his hair fully drained of color, his movements slower than they'd been in his middle aged years.

"You got here fast," Attia told him as she let him embrace her and press a kiss to her forehead.

"Mason sent some fast riders for us," Ronan answered as Attia pulled over a chair for him.

"I'll have your room made up for you," she told him, but before she could walk away, he reached out to grab her arm.

"Don't. I already saw Keiro and he had someone do it already," Ronan told her. Attia nodded as she moved the other chair to face him and sat down.

"You talked to Keiro?" she asked, her eyebrow raising slightly as she watched her father.

"I assume that means the two of you aren't doing as well as I'd hoped."

"What does that mean?"

"Court rumors travel farther than Court," he remarked and Attia sighed as she nodded at his comment. "So it's true then? The latest tale?"

"About Morgan?" Attia sneered as she met her father's gaze. "Unfortunately, yes, she has shown up at Court with her bastard child and naming Keiro as the father."

"Why does that upset you so much?" Ronan asked as he leaned forward to put his hand over Attia's. "If it wasn't Morgan, you wouldn't even care. You probably wouldn't even question the claim that he's the father. From what I remember during your time apart, he was quite a popular person."

"I don't know," Attia answered truthfully as she sighed. "I just hate Morgan so much. And I'm just trying to get Kyra's wedding in order, so I haven't really been all that concerned with Morgan lately."

"Kyra's wedding will be perfect," Ronan said with a smile. "Claire and I got her and Chris a wonderful gift, too. It's a beautiful set of glass plates and bowls that her father's wife gave to her when she first married. I think Kyra will really like them."

"Should've left them at Primstone," Attia laughed. "That's the only place she'd ever use them."

"Yes, well, I got them a little something else too," he said as he smiled at Attia.

"It's that stupid jewelry box you tried to give to me and Keiro a few years ago, is it?"

"No," Ronan laughed as he shook his head. "Claire gave that to Zoe and her husband. I brought something for you and Keiro, also, but it seems that if you're at odds with each other, you might end up killing one another with them."

"What is it?" Attia questioned as she narrowed her eyes. Ronan said nothing as he smiled at his daughter and pushed himself up to his feet.

"You'll just have to wait, I'm afraid," he told her as he turned and started towards the door. Before he turned entirely, he looked back to Attia once more. "And did I read your letter correctly about Kyra's wedding?"

"Yes," Attia answered with a laugh and a nod.

"Alright," he nodded back to her as he turned his gaze back to the door. "I was just making sure."

"I'll have Keiro come and get you when it's time," she promised. Ronan nodded before he left the room, leaving Attia to continue pretending to work. When she was sure the Council meeting for that day had ended, she left her office for her bedroom. On the edge of the bed sat a wooden box with a gold latch. Attia stared at it before she brushed it off her mind and went to the bathroom. She ran a shower and took her time, opting to make the most of her less-stressful-than-usual day. When she left the bathroom, she found Keiro had come into the room and dressed in his more comfortable nightwear. As he laid back across his side of the bed, he held the wooden box as he examined it closely.

"What is it?" he asked without looking up at her.

"You didn't open it?" she replied as she walked around the bed and to the closet. She left the door open as she dried off completely and started to secure the towel around her head to hold her wet hair up as she dressed. She gasped in surprise when she felt Keiro's hands on her sides when she stood up straight. She hadn't even heard him cross the room.

"Should I have?" he asked softly, his lips moving against her neck as he spoke the words.

"It's from my father," she told him as she tried to push his hands away. Keiro resisted and wrapped an arm entirely around her to pull her back against him completely. "Stop it, Keiro."

"Why?" he questioned as he turned his head to kiss her neck. His kisses moved up her neck and settled on her jaw line before he trailed them back down to the top of her shoulder. Attia wanted to fight with him, to stay away from him so long as Morgan plagued her, but as his kisses continued, she could feel her resolve starting to break.

He loosened his grip around her waist, but Attia made no move to leave his embrace. She could feel his other arm coming up between their bodies as he pulled on the strings of his shirt. When he pulled his arm away from her body entirely, she turned back to him and helped pull his shirt over his head before she dropped her towel to the floor. With her arms wrapped around his neck, she kissed him properly, her naked form pressed completely against him as his fingers fumbled with the fastening of his pants. They managed to make it back to the bed before Keiro lost all his patience, but Attia had always been good at slowing the moment whenever he got too excited for his own good.

After they finished and dressed again in their night clothes, Attia sat on the edge of the bed, Keiro laying right behind her. He kept an arm around her as his other arm propped his upper body up so that he could press slow kisses to her shoulders and neck. She made no attempts to stop his show of affection even if both were well aware they'd begin fighting again as soon as Kyra's wedding was over the next day. In her lap, she was holding the wooden box left by her father than neither had yet opened. When she finally did flip the lid open, she stared down into the box in surprise.

"What is it?" Keiro mumbled, his words obscured by her skin, since he refused to cease his kisses.

"Knives," she told him. Her answer spiked his interest since he pulled away from her skin to sit up properly. She turned to face him as she reached into the box to pull one of the two knives out by the handle. Keiro took out the other, and they inspected the fancy knives together. They were identical to each other, the bronze handles set with rubies and emeralds, the silver blades identical in length and sharp on one edge.

"They're engraved," Keiro finally commented as he twisted his knife to catch the light. Attia did the same, her body twisting so she could face the light source. She let out a dry laugh at her and Keiro's initials set in the blade of the knife.

"Our initials," Attia told him as she looked up at him then reached to take his knife. "Both of them."

Keiro only nodded at her as she set them back into the box then stood up from the bed to place the box on top of the nearest dresser. When she returned to the bed, Keiro had slide over enough to make room for her on her side of the bed. As she slipped under the covers, she moved closer to the center of the bed than she usually did, prompting Keiro to move back to her and to wrap his arm around her waist. He couldn't resist putting another kiss on her cheek, an action that put a smile across Attia's lips.

"It's not my fault, you know," Keiro told her finally. In all of their arguing brought on by Morgan's presence at Court, he'd never actually told her how he really felt about it all. He felt Attia's body stiffen in his arms, but she said nothing back, so he took that as a sign that she didn't want to argue on the eve of their daughter's wedding. That was also probably why she didn't fight him so much when he'd wanted to enjoy their bed.

"What isn't?" Attia finally asked after she swallowed. She turned her head upward but eventually rolled to her back so she could face him better. He remained on his side facing her, their bodies touching. His hand was on her stomach, his fingers moving back and forth slowly until she put her fingers between his and pressed their palms together. He didn't know why that gesture seemed to mean more to him than any amount of kisses or sexual favors she did him.

"Morgan," Keiro told her, feeling a surge of boldness go through him after she'd connected their hands. "I didn't know, and I never would've just... let her leave if I'd know that I had… that she was…"

"I know," Attia told him. She forced a smile, but it was weak and probably not as reassuring as she wanted it to be. She lifted her head up slightly, and Keiro met her lips with his.

"It's not like I wanted this to happen," he told her when she dropped back down to her pillow. She said nothing, but kept her eyes on him, so he continued. "And I miss you."

"It's hard, Keiro," she told him. "With her here, and with-"

"I know," he said before she could continue. He kissed her again to be sure, but the second kiss was deeper and longer than the first. She'd even reached up to thread her fingers through his hair as she kissed him back, realizing she did miss him too. When he pulled back from the kiss, she held his gaze and pecked him on the lips once more before she rolled back to her side.

"You should get a couple hours of sleep before we have to get up again," she told him simply. He seemed to agree since he said nothing else and was quickly asleep beside her. Waking him up a few hours later proved rather difficult. Since it was the middle of the night, she somewhat understood, but was still annoyed at the prospect anyway. She groaned as she pushed on his shoulder, but he simply rolled over, his sleep apparently undisturbed. With an eye roll, Attia pulled him back to his back and straddled his hips before she lowered herself down to press their lips together. She kept kissing him slowly until she felt his lips starting to respond to her. Her lips pulled up into a brief smile that was wiped away when he deepened the kiss and moved his arms to wrap around her body.

"You have to get up," she told him when she managed to pull away.

He groaned in dissatisfaction as he tried to continue kissing her. "Few more minutes," he mumbled as he rolled them over to lay above her his lips never leaving hers. She laughed into his mouth as she complied and returned his kisses.

"We have to get up for Kyra's wedding, Keiro," she finally told him as she pushed on his shoulders to lift him off of her frame.

"A wedding at three in the morning was your best idea?" he questioned and she laughed as she pushed him to the side and slipped out of bed.

"How many ideas did you have, then?" she replied as she went into their closet. She'd already left their formal wear easily accessible, so she quickly tossed Keiro's suit to the bed before she started dressing in her dress. When she emerged from the closet, Keiro had pulled on his pants and undershirt while she had the unzipped dress on her shoulders, her heels in one hand. She turned her back to Keiro and he paused to zip up her dress before he started buttoning his shirt while she slipped her heels on. He tossed his coat over his arm before he let her push around his hair until she was satisfied with the way it fell. Before she could step away from him, he pulled her back to him and forced a kiss on her lips, which she returned in full.

"Attia, are you ready?" Anne called as she knocked on the bedroom door and let herself in, pausing and turning her head when she saw Keiro and Attia.

Attia laughed as she stepped out of Keiro's embrace and started towards the door. "Yes, let's go. Are all the kids ready?"

"They're setting up the lights now," Anne answered as she met Attia's gaze, a faint blush across her embarrassed cheeks. "I didn't know you two were on such good terms now."

"Yeah, well, don't trust it," Attia told her simply. Keiro huffed at the response, but said nothing as he followed the two women down the hall. Anne remained in the hallway as Attia and Keiro went into Kyra's bedroom, where they weren't surprised at all to find Chris lying beside her, his arms around her form as she slept with her head on his chest. "Kyra," Attia called as she went around to Kyra's side of the bed while Keiro went to Chris'.

"Chris," Keiro called in a more forceful tone as he reached out to shake the young man's shoulder. Chris came to before Kyra and sat up in horror as he stared at Keiro, eyes wide.

"I-" he started, realizing what it mean for Keiro to see him blatantly in bed with his daughter. "It's not fair to kill me the night before my wedding, you know."

"That's pretty coherent for someone who was just asleep," Keiro replied sharply as he rolled his eyes and stepped away from the bed as he motioned for Chris to get out. Kyra was just waking up at the same time, since Chris' movements had disturbed her.

"Kyra, come on," Attia said. "You have to get married."

"What?" Kyra questioned as she opened her eyes and looked between her parents. "It's dark out. You're insane!"

"Put on your wedding gown, right now," Attia told her as she pushed back the covers of the bed and took Kyra's are. "We have a surprise for you. Chris, go with Keiro and get dressed."

Kyra and Chris stared at each other, both appearing far more inclined to go back to sleep rather than get out of bed and get dressed.

"You wanted a simple wedding in the courtyard without any of our guests there, right?" Attia questioned. "That's what you told me, and that's what I promised you."

"What?" Kyra replied, her question less of confusion and more of surprise.

"Well, guess what? Everybody is asleep at three in the morning except all of us, who got out of bed so we could give you your perfect wedding."

"Really?" Kyra questioned, suddenly more awake than before. When Anne appeared in the doorway, her makeup bag hanging from her wrist, Kyra's lips pulled into a beaming smile. She was at loss for words as she shifted her eyes up to Keiro, who just smiled down at her.

"Anne is going to do your hair and makeup," Attia told her, though Kyra already knew that. She tossed back the rest of her covers and quickly leapt out of bed to toss her arms around her mother. When she hugged Anne next, she saw Keiro and Chris were leaving the room, Chris smiling as happily as Kyra was.


	11. Chapter 11

Anne worked miracles with Kyra's sleepless skin, but Attia and Anne could remember well their youth when sheer happiness could make the darkest circles go away. Anne pulled Kyra's hair back into the up-do Kyra wanted and secured it with pins before adding a few shiny jewels. As Attia and Anne helped Kyra into her wedding gown, Kyra's breathing had started to increase dramatically.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" Anne asked as she looked up at Kyra. Attia was standing behind her to finish lacing up the gown.

"I'm just so-" Kyra started but stopped as she reached out to grab Anne's hand. "I can't believe you did all this for me. For us to have this wedding."

"Finn felt bad," Attia told her as she came around to face her daughter. "We all did for ruining the wedding you'd been planning for so long. And since when have I gone back on a promise?"

"Never," Kyra answered as a tear escaped the corner of her eye. Anne quickly wiped it away before she kissed Kyra's cheek.

"Come on. I'm sure it's all ready by now," Anne said as she took Kyra's hand. Attia took Kyra's other hand as the three walked out of the room and down the hallway. They made it to the entrance of the courtyard, where Kyra could already tell dozens and dozens of lights had been installed to light the area up in the middle of the night. Charlotte and Victoria were dressed in their blue gowns, both of their blonde heads done up in fancy curls of Claudia's doing. John, little Finn, and Chase were in their best suits, all three beaming at Kyra brightly. Anne and Attia left her as Keiro approached to kiss her cheek.

"Are you ready?" he asked her. Kyra opened her mouth to answer him, but she couldn't force any words out of her mouth.

"You look beautiful, sis," Finn told her as he leaned over to kiss her cheek as well. Chase went next, and finally John before Charlotte and Victoria each hugged her tightly. When Kyra couldn't stop her tears for a second time, Victoria wasted no time in wiping them away before her makeup could run. Chase started into the courtyard first, and as he stepped out, Kyra could hear the music of the string quartet floating through the air. Victoria and John went next, their arms linked together for the first time in public since the arrival of Princess Avery and her family. But none of that had a place in Kyra's dream wedding. Finn and Charlotte were next, and when they were a few steps into the courtyard, Kyra felt Keiro's arm nudge her. She wrapped her arm in his before she let him lead her out into the courtyard.

There was so much that at first her eyes didn't know where to settle. Her aunts and uncles were dressed in their dresses and suits, her mother shining beside Ronan and Claire. The lights made the entire courtyard sparkle, even in the distance where members of the Royal Guard were patrolling and keeping the perimeter of the low-key wedding. The string quartet was on the far side of the fountain as Kyra had wanted them. After a few seconds, however, Kyra's eyes knew exactly where to stay: on Chris, who stood right in front of her, dressing in his suit with all their closest friends standing on each side of him, a space open for her right beside him.

When she reached where Chris and the officiator stood, Keiro bent down to kiss her forehead. He smiled at her brightly before he released her arm and let her take Chris' outstretched hand. The actual ceremony was short, the way Kyra and Chris had agreed they wanted it, opposed to the long traditional ceremony that they'd been told would be given during their "real" ceremony later that day. None of that, however, even occurred to Kyra, whose mind could only hold the exact moment the officiator declared her Chris' wife and motioned for them to kiss.

As they pulled apart, Finn nearly tackled Chris into the fountain, his mouth spread into a wide all-encompassing grin. He hugged Chris tightly before he lifted his sister off of the ground and spun her as John and Chase took their turns hugging and teasing Chris. When Finn finally released Kyra, Charlotte and Victoria went to her, both eager to see what her hand looked like with the addition of her wedding band. After a few minutes, Finn and Claudia approached Kyra to each hug and congratulate her, while Anne and Casper did the same to Chris. Ronan mostly hovered around Kyra, who made an effort to really embrace her grandfather. Eventually everyone had a chance to interact with each the bride and groom, all while Keiro and Attia watched the entire scene, neither inclined to get into the middle of it. At some point, Keiro had slipped his hand into Attia's, and she'd accepted his fingers. He smiled at her before he kissed her temple sweetly.

The next morning, they were all tired due to their late night, which resulted in many of them getting only a few hours of sleep. Nonetheless, Kyra and Chris were in much better spirits for their wedding since they'd already had the ceremony they'd actually wanted. To them, the three in the morning ceremony had been the real one, and the one they were preparing for was just for show, and neither cared all that much for it. Attia and Keiro were again the ones to wake the pair, with Anne, Victoria, and Charlotte in the doorway to help get Kyra ready.

"I feel like I didn't sleep at all," Chris complained as he sat up on the edge of Kyra's bed and groaned.

"Yeah, well, you probably didn't," Keiro commented bitterly as he rolled his eyes. Chris had attempted to hide the blush on his cheeks but was unsuccessful. Chris eventually managed to get out of bed, but leaned over to kiss Kyra on the cheek before he left.

"Ring," Anne said as Chris started towards the doorway, Keiro on his heels.

"Right," Chris said as he took his wedding band off of his finger and placed it in Anne's outstretched hand. Attia tossed Kyra's to Keiro before the two men left the room for the women to prepare. Kyra was all smiles as she went through the motions of getting ready for her wedding. She didn't care that her gown had a few grass stains on the bottom from the courtyard or that there were some wrinkles from spending the night on the floor. When Anne suggested she change her makeup slightly to better match the grandeur of the wedding, Kyra didn't fight it, and she even let Victoria and Charlotte collaborate on the pieces of jewelry for Kyra to wear.

"You don't care at all, do you?" Victoria laughed as she stood behind Kyra to put a necklace around her neck.

"Why should I?" Kyra replied as she watched herself in the mirror. Compared to her first ceremony, she looked too done up and fancy, but Victoria was right that she didn't care at all. "I already had my wedding."

"Yeah, you got the wedding you wanted and now you're going to get so many gifts from everyone else today," Charlotte pointed out and Kyra rolled her eyes and Victoria laughed. It was something that only Charlotte and Chase would've picked up on.

"Will you be ok to walk with John in front of Mallery?" Kyra asked as she turned and met Victoria's gaze. "You can walk with Finn and Charlotte can walk with John." Victoria held Kyra's gaze, then looked to Charlotte, both women serious in the offer, but Victoria smiled as she shook her head.

"No, I'm fine," Victoria told them. "I'm only coming outside for your wedding, so I might as well spend it with John."The three women laughed at the idea as Anne and Attia approached them.

Kyra couldn't really focus on all the details of her second wedding the way she had the first. She caught onto a few details, like the size of the crowd and the decorations she hated that Attia and Finn had picked last minute. Mostly, she just went through the long traditional ceremony, cringing when her vows included a promise to "obey". Chris noticed and held back a laugh as he shook his head when she made the vow. When it ended, they kissed and started back down the aisle, neither very concerned with how it all looked to their guests.

"You did good," Keiro said in Attia's ear as they followed Finn and Claudia down the aisle after the wedding party had left the ballroom. Attia couldn't stop a smile from forming as she rolled her eyes and turned to look up at Keiro. "With the wedding and all, I mean."

"I try," she told him, and he laughed as he moved his hand to the small of her back. The extended royal family moved to a few closed off rooms while all the guests were moved from the ballroom to the dining hall for food and drink. As the elder group of the royal family got to the rooms, they found the seven young adults already drinking, each holding up a glass of champagne.

Only when one of the servers came into the room and announced that all the other guests had been seated did the royal family start making their way towards the dining hall. Anne and Casper went first, followed by Keiro and Attia, then Finn and Claudia. The wedding party was seated in the order they walked during the ceremony with Chris and Kyra last.

The majority of the reception went in the same manner as all royal events did. Charlotte and Chase enjoyed themselves more than they should have while Chris and Kyra remained at each other's side constantly. Finn mingled but not quite as enthusiastically as his cousins. John and Victoria remained seated for the most part, though they were seated separately rather than beside each other as they usually were.

When the band called for Chris and Kyra's first dance, the center of the room cleared for them. They danced with each other easily, Chris' hands on her waist and holding her other hand while she had an arm around his neck. It seemed only Victoria and Attia noticed that somewhere in the process of the wedding and reception Kyra had taken off her shoes and was moving back and forth on her toes to make up for the lost height of her heels.

The dance shifted for daughters and fathers, so Keiro moved to take Kyra while Finn and Charlotte joined them. Reluctantly, Attia followed Ronan to the dance floor as well, though she was surprised at how easily he could still move despite his age. Eventually, the dance floor filled with other couples, and Keiro claimed Attia for his own as he wrapped his arm around her waist and took her hand with his other arm.

"I thought you hated dancing," Attia said finally after they hadn't yet left the dance floor after a number of songs.

"It keeps us from arguing," Keiro replied. Attia knew he could've easily rephrased his comment to purposely anger her, so she refrained from making any sarcastic comment in response. Instead, she just nodded as she held his gaze. "I don't want to argue with you anymore," he finally said, though she'd been able to guess that much. Their bouts of arguing usually didn't leave him so drained, but she had to take into account all the other factors at play. Not only was he arguing with her on a regular basis, he was also forced to interact with Morgan and Lucas, in addition to the tension that had formed between Keiro and little Finn as a result.

She nodded again as she lifted her hand from his neck and gently pushed a few strands of his hair from his forehead. "I know, Keiro," she told him softly. "I forgot what it was like to be like this with you. It's nice."

Keiro laughed as he rose an eyebrow at her. "Nice?"

"What do you want?" she questioned as she met his gaze and held it for a few seconds without breaking contact. Keiro said nothing as he let out a single laugh and tightened his grip around her waist slightly. It was Attia who broke away from him, but she kept their hands joined as she lead him through the crowd. Silently, they weaved through the people, then the tables, until they reached an opening to the adjacent corridor, where only servers were walking back and forth with empty and full trays. Keiro wasted no time in pulling Attia to him and pressing their lips together. He half expected her to push him away and make him wait until they reached their room, but instead she matched his enthusiasm and even wrapped her free arm around his neck. They held the kiss for only a few moments before Attia broke away and grinned at him, then turned to lead him down the corridor. At the end of the corridor, Keiro pinned her against the wall and pulled her hips up to match their heights before he kissed her again. She supported herself with one leg wrapped around his waist, both her arms around his neck to help keep herself against him. Keiro pulled away when he heard the unmistakable sound of heels clicking against the stone flooring.

"Sorry," Morgan said as she averted her eyes quickly, feeling suddenly out of place at Court now that Keiro and Attia were no longer at odds. Keiro swallowed as he looked to Attia, who'd pulled her leg off of his waist to support her own weight on her own feet. "I just wanted to ask you something about Lucas," she said after she looked back to Keiro and Attia, who'd separated from each other by then. Keiro stared bewildered at Morgan, as though he wasn't sure how to treat her with Attia right next to him. When he felt Attia's fingers tugging on his arm, he turned to her.

"I'll meet you in our room," she told him simply, a brazen smile across her face, as she reached up to wipe the smears of lip gloss from around his mouth.

"Ok," he said rather dumbly, having no other response for her. She held his gaze as she lifted one leg to undo the straps of her heels, then let it drop to the ground before she did the same to the other. She left her shoes there in the hallway and turned to walk away from Keiro and Morgan, the bottom few inches of her dress dragging along the floor. Before she turned the corner, she looked over her shoulder to see Keiro's eyes still watching her even as she disappeared around the corner. Realizing Morgan was still in the hallway with him, he turned to face her, coming to the insight that Morgan had never been at Court when he and Attia were so obviously together and she didn't know how to handle that any better than he did. Attia apparently had no qualms with the situation.

"Did you talk to him?" Morgan finally asked when it was clear Keiro would say nothing.

"Who?"

"Lucas," Morgan answered as she held back an eye roll. She imagined Keiro's head wasn't working at full capacity. "He- He seemed different today about you."

"No, I haven't seen him since you threatened to make him High Duke when you kill me," Keiro responded. Morgan stared at Keiro before she took in a deep breath and rolled her eyes.

"I didn't threaten to kill you, Keiro," she replied sharply. Keiro had no comment for his rephrasing of their earlier conversation, so he bent down to pick up Attia's heels.

"Whatever, Morgan," he told her finally as he turned and started down the hallway. He had no intentions of making Attia wait for very long, especially not for Morgan to stop talking.

"Well, he's acting different now, Keiro," Morgan said as she caught up to his side and pulled on his arm. He shook his arm out of her grasp and continued on down the hallway, forcing her to match his strides with her shorter legs.

"Why don't you ask him about it?" Keiro suggested. "There's a wild idea, huh? Ask the kid how he feels about things before you drag him all the way to Court to ruin my life."

"Ruin yours?" Morgan repeated. "He's the one who doesn't have a father!"

"Who's fault is that?" Keiro snapped back as he stopped walking to meet her gaze. "You're the one who took him and ran away. I didn't leave him. And he does have a father, by the way, Morgan. Why don't you ask your country boy how he feels while you're asking Lucas?"

Morgan was so stunned she didn't even both continuing after Keiro as he turned the corner, Attia's heels still in hand. Though his words stayed with Morgan for the rest of the night, Keiro forgot the entire ordeal with her almost instantly. He couldn't have gotten to their bedroom sooner, and when he did get there, he couldn't even remember Morgan's name if he had to.

Attia was already on the bed, but she'd kept her dress on, allowing him the honors of slipping the straps down her shoulders after he nearly attacked her. He'd barely managed to shut the door before he went towards the bed and kissed her as his hands went around her waist. As his fingers fumbled with the zipper of her dress, her fingers' movements were calm and collected as she slowly pushed all the buttons of her shirt through each hole and ran her hands down his chest.


	12. Chapter 12

Finn had pretty much given up on John paying Avery any of the attention he was supposed to, and since he didn't really enjoy sitting around outside Avery's room all day, he'd volunteered to take her on tours of Court and the outlying areas without John. She'd happily agreed, so the pair of them walked down one of the back hallways of Court towards a lesser used exit to the gardens. Finn had explained there more straightforward paths to the gardens, but Avery insisted on seeing every bit of Court while she was there. With a laugh, he obliged.

"I just think Court is so beautiful," Avery commented as she stopped in front of one of the glass windows to peer out at the scenery. They were still on the second floor, so she had a fairly good view of the outlying area around Court.

"Isn't it beautiful in Mallery?" Finn asked curiously as he came to stand beside her near the window.

"In its own way," Avery replied. Finn laughed at her response as he nodded. Over the last few days he'd spent following her around, he'd quickly realized she was unlike most of the women he knew. Rather than making biting comments about things or being sarcastic, Avery saw the simple goodness in everything. It reminded Finn of Kyra, but there was something else about Avery that Finn couldn't quite place. "Everything just looks so different here, too though," Avery added as she turned her head up to meet Finn's gaze. "The buildings are different and the roads are smoother, cleaner. The clothing everyone wears is different."

"I see you had a dress made in our fashions," Finn put in as he motioned down to her blue dress made from the fabrics and materials Claudia had bought for her. Finn was like most other men in regards to noticing the differences in dresses, but it was such a drastic difference for Avery to lose her corset and all the unnecessary layers of her dress that Finn had noticed it after all.

"Yes," Avery smiled and laughed as she looked down at her dress and fanned out the skirt with her hands before she let it fall down again. "The Queen bought all the fabric for me at the market. She even paid for the designer as well. It's a generous gift."

"It's a beautiful dress," Finn told her simply. He knew better than to not compliment a woman's prized dress.

"Thank you," Avery replied with a wide smile. They continued down the hallway once more and Finn offered her his arm for balance as they went down a staircase he doubted saw much use. As they reached the first floor, Avery's eyes traveled everywhere, taking in all the sights around her. "Your sister's wedding was wonderful," she said suddenly as she looked to Finn again. "She looked absolutely stunning in her gown."

"I'll let her know you think so," Finn laughed and Avery's smile grew again.

"I think I would like my wedding to be small," Avery said as she turned forward once more. She couldn't help but to look out every window they passed by and Finn cynically wondered if her father ever let her see the light of day. "But I don't think that would ever be possible."

"Why not?" Finn asked.

"Because of… because of who I am," Avery answered, her smile fading and her voice falling for a fraction of a second. She forced her smile back as she met Finn's eyes for a moment then turned away. "Princesses don't just get married without hundreds of people to watch it all. The people are as entitled to my life as I am."

"Except you have no say in your own husband," Finn commented before it occurred to him to not say such a thing. Avery turned back to him appearing rather amused. So amused that when he tried to apologize, she laughed and shook her head at him.

"I agree," she told him, unable to keep a laugh out of her words. "Guess they can't be that entitled to a life that isn't entirely my own to begin with." She turned away from him before he could fully read her expression, and by the time she looked at him again, they'd reached the exit to the gardens and her face entirely changed. She looked around at all the bushes and trees and flowers as though she'd never seen such greenery in her life. "The gardens in Mallery have nothing on this," she declared as she bent down to pick a bright red flower from a stem. "I've never even seen some of these before."

"Perhaps the climate differences don't allow them to grow there," Finn suggested as he followed her along the cobblestone path. She laughed as she glanced over her shoulder at him, her face bright and clear and beautiful. She paused as she reached up to put the flower behind her ear before she continued down the path.

"I don't think I'd ever stay indoors if there were such flowers in Mallery," she said. As they went down the pathway, she paused every so often to admire a group of flowers she either didn't recognize or were far bigger, brighter, or somehow greater than their counterparts in Mallery.

"If I'd know the gardens would make you so happy, we'd come out here sooner," Finn said and Avery laughed.

"I imagine you've just been upset about your parents and-" she stopped suddenly as she stopped walking. Since she'd laughed off his comment about her lack of say in her own future, she hoped he would overlook her inappropriate comment about his family. She'd been right when she'd first guessed something was troubling him when they first met, but she hadn't entirely pieced it all together until she overheard a group of women gossiping the night before at Kyra's wedding.

"How did you know?" Finn asked after a few moments of perfect silence. Avery turned to him completely, her smile gone and her eyes a little duller than they'd been moments before.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything," she told him quickly as she took a step towards him, arms out, until she realized what she was doing and dropped her arms to her side once more. "I overheard people talking at the wedding. But I knew something was wrong when we first met. You looked so troubled all the time and I was afraid to ask."

Finn let out a dry laugh as he nodded and met her gaze. "Don't worry about it," he told her. "I imagine a lot of people are talking around Court. You're the only one to actually bring it up in front of me, though. I suppose that's in your favor."

"Why's that?" she asked as she walked beside him down the pathway. They were moving slower than before now that she'd stopping running from bush to bush in search of more flowers.

"I'd rather people just talk to me rather than about me," he said with a shrug as he peered down at her. She nodded as she held his gaze.

"I feel the same way," she replied as she smiled brightly at him, her entire face lighting up once more. She'd even slipped her arm in his, her other hand coming across her body to rest on his upper arm. They continued down the pathway in that manner with a comfortable silence between them.

"If I ask you something, will you not lie to me like everyone else will?" she asked suddenly as she looked up to meet his gaze. Finn narrowed his eyes at her as he judged whether or not to agree. She was so lighthearted and kind and sweet that he was lacking in reasons not to, so he just nodded. "Is it true John has absolutely no intentions of marrying me? That there's already a girl who'll be his Queen?"

Finn kept his lips pressed together tightly as he stared down at her. She'd stopped walking to ask the question, so he couldn't very well start walking again and break their eye contact without her thinking something odd about his behavior.

"You did promise not to lie, Finn," she reminded him and couldn't help himself when he laughed. "Lying isn't very becoming," she declared as she pulled her arm from his and turned to step towards a rose bush. He could tell she wasn't angry with him, since her eyes hadn't dulled and her smile hadn't faded. He joined her at the rose bush and collapsed his hands behind his back.

"Yes, it's true," Finn finally told her. Avery only nodded at his answer, and he presumed she'd already expected that much. "It's Victoria. The woman he walked with during the ceremony yesterday."

"She's very beautiful," Avery said, her voice suddenly softer than before.

"She said the same thing about you," Finn told her. "Though a bit more spitefully."

Avery laughed as she peered up at Finn. He'd just told her there was minimal to no chance of her marring John and becoming Queen of the Realm, and her smile remained as bright as it had been before. That alone was enough to make him smile back at her.

"So you speak with her, then?" Avery asked as she started to walk down the pathway once more, keeping her leisurely pace.

"Yes. She's the daughter of a man who'd been on the King's Council and we're all roughly the same age, me and my sister and our cousins and Chris and Victoria, so we all have been together for years."

"Could you tell her something for me?" Avery asked as she looked at Finn again. "Could you tell her that I'm sorry? That I never came here with the intention of stealing John away from anyone?"

Finn held Avery's gaze for a moment, though he didn't respond right away. After a few more steps, he cleared his throat and nodded. "I can tell her, but I don't think it'll make any kind of difference. She's not handled your presence at Court very well."

"I've never even seen her until yesterday during the ceremony," Avery admitted.

"She's been hiding away in John's room. She hates-" Finn stopped himself again, realizing that being with Avery seemed to make him say things he shouldn't. She was so easy to talk to, to open up to, that he had to constantly remind himself that she was a Princess. A foreign Princess who would leave the Realm with every last word he said to her.

"Hates me?" Avery asked.

"No," Finn shook his head. "Not you, specifically. Just hates the idea that she can't be who she is while you and your parents are here. She's on Council, you know, and she's not been able to go to any of the meetings because they're all marriage negotiations between you and John. She's not really the kind of girl that can sit idly by and let people talk about her future."

"She's not like me, then?" Avery asked. Finn hadn't meant his comment that way, but he was finding it was rather difficult to offend Avery, so he nodded but said nothing. "I suppose it's something that's learned. I don't have much other choice, whereas here, she is perfectly free to have a position on the King's Council. To voice her opinion on any matter. To love a Prince despite her lower standing."

"Nobody thinks of it like that."

"I can't imagine that they do," she agreed as she smiled at Finn. "Everything is so different here. It's kind of nice that all the lines are blurry and that I could have a conversation with a serving girl as easily as I could with someone of my own standing."

"Even if there wasn't Victoria, I don't think John would've given you enough time to realize you're not exactly all that you pretend to be," Finn said. Avery rose her eyebrow at him and for a moment, he wondered if he'd finally found a line he couldn't cross with her.

"How do you mean?" she questioned, sounding less mad and more curious, a distinction that put Finn at ease.

"You were so formal and meek when you first got here. But you're so… open and kind… and sweet-" Finn stopped himself as she turned away from her suddenly. He was so focused on not looking at her that he didn't notice Avery's lingering gaze on him as she smiled brightly. She eventually turned away and continued walking, opting to say nothing about his comment since his cheeks had suddenly flushed red when the words escaped him.

"So what do you do when you're not babysitting?" she asked after the flush on Finn's cheeks had disappeared.

"I don't think of this as babysitting," Finn laughed as he looked down at her. "But I mostly go over different battle tactics and fighting techniques with Mason. He's the Commander of the Royal Guard, and he's training me to take over when he retires."

"That sounds prestigious," she said as she kept her eyes forward. "That'll make you High Duke and Commander, no?"

"Are you keeping track?"

"I'm just a good listener," she replied, though her cheeks did become a little pinker in the sunlight.

"How are you enjoying your stay so far?" Finn asked her to change the subject. She smiled as she looked back at him again.

"Quite nice actually," she answered. "I kind of like that John isn't really paying that much attention to me."

"Why?" he asked as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"It means I don't have to pretend to be interested in him anymore. I don't have to play any games or be somebody that I don't like to be."

"Why would you have to pretend at all?" Finn laughed at the ridiculousness of her answer. "You're perfectly likable the way you are."

Avery forced herself to keep up the conversation even if seemed every other thing Finn said was threatening to keep her blushing in silence. "I suppose that has to do with the differences between here and Mallery, then. Women aren't to be like this at home."

"Be like what?" Finn asked, honestly confused as to what she meant.

"So… opinionated."

"Well, I honestly don't think you're that opinionated in comparison to Victoria or Charlotte. I swear, they've got something to say about everything. You're just… open about everything."

"Why have I not met any of your cousins?" Avery asked suddenly. "Or your sister or anyone? Is it because of Victoria?"

"Yeah," Finn answered without hesitation. He found no reason to lie to her anymore. "We're kind of… divided about you."

"Divided how?"

"Well, Charlotte and Chase want to invite you to have dinner with us. Charlotte wants to get you drunk and unfairly beat you in cards. Chase wants to get you drunk to have sex with you, most likely. That's usually the safest bet with him. Victoria said she'd rather claw her eyeballs out than have you set foot in our room, and John agreed because he wants to make her happy. Kyra and Chris don't have an opinion because they're always neutral about these types of things. They know it's not really your fault who you are and why you're here, but nobody really wants to upset Victoria either."

Avery was quiet for a long moment, but Finn said nothing further as he wondered if he'd said too much about his family. "You all sound very close," she finally said as she kept her gaze forward.

"Well, we all grew up together," Finn answered. "Don't you have cousins or friends you're close with?"

"I have a few cousins, yes. They're both boys and they don't really pay much attention to me. Women can't inherit the throne under our laws, so if I don't marry somebody suitable that my father's advisors approve of, my older cousin will inherit the throne from my father and bypass me. They're probably hoping this whole thing between John and I doesn't work out. And then there's a few half siblings that my father had with his…" Avery trailed off as she wasn't sure exactly what to say.

"How do you…"

"I don't," Avery answered the questioned Finn couldn't ask. She stopped walking to look up at him, knowing that his situation nearly mirrored her own. "They're acknowledged as his children, but they're illegitimate and though he gives them titles and lands and marries the girls off well, we don't get along very well. I don't like the idea that my father can so blatantly disregard my mother, but it's not my place to ever disagree with him."

"I'm sorry," Finn told her sympathetically. "That sounds worse than just the one I've got."

"Well, at least I've always known they were there. You've only just heard, and I can't imagine that's easy to bear," she said as she reached out to put her hand on his arm. She smiled at him until he finally smiled back at her and turned to continue walking down the pathway. "I know you've only just met me, and that anything I say probably won't make any kind of difference," she started as she kept her gaze forward, unaware she'd peaked his interest in her words. "But, for it's worth, I've seen the way your father looks at your mother, and it's nothing like the way my father looks at my mother. Even if she's not the only one he's ever loved, she's certainly the only one now. I think that would make me feel better if it were the case with my parents," she explained as she paused to peer up at him. She was for a moment taken back at the intensity in his gaze, but she smiled at him all the same. "I hope you feel the same way about that as I do."


	13. Chapter 13

Attia eventually managed to make it to the Council meeting hall, where all the seats but hers were already full and the walls were line with the various others who hadn't warranted a seat. Keiro was walking right behind her, though he had no intentions of staying for the meeting. Before Attia went any further into the room, he pulled her back for a kiss and she rolled her eyes as she obliged. "You need to talk to Finn," she told him simply before she turned away to go to her seat. Keiro only nodded at her comment before he turned and left the Council hall, pulling the door shut behind him. Attia took her seat, ignoring the looks from Finn, Claudia, and Mason.

"Shall we begin then?" King Logan questioned as he stared across the table at Finn, who nodded. "If your son is unwilling to take on the responsibilities of Mallery, perhaps some other arrangements can be made."

Finn narrowed his eyes at King Logan as though for a second he were honestly considering marrying John to Avery. John seemed to take notice of that as well, since he turned to his father and stared at him so intently it was a wonder how Finn didn't return the look.

"What arrangement?" Finn questioned.

Attia stopped listening, since her patience for pretending to care had seemed to wear thin. John obviously was having the same trouble she was. She could tell from the way he stared at her from across the table as though daring her to make up some kind of ridiculous story that would get them both out of the meeting. Finn and Claudia, and everyone else on their side of the meeting would know how fabricated it would be, but King Logan would be as clueless as he'd been for the duration of his trip. And nobody would dare call them out on such a broad faced lie in front of their royal guests.

"Attia, what do you think?" Finn called and the sound of her name called her back to reality. She turned from John to Finn, but her eyes barely were able to register that they weren't the same person. Their personalities were so different that it was hard not to recognize them separately, but when her mind was blank, she realized how closely John resembled his father if it wasn't for his mother's hair.

"I-" she started and stopped, realizing that she had absolutely no idea what to say. "Whatever you want, Finn," she told him simply. It was clearly something she'd never say under usual circumstances, since she had an opinion on everything.

"I'd have thought sleeping in a bit would've left you clear headed," Claudia commented, a teasing taunt hidden in her carefully constructed words. Attia turned her gaze to Claudia, who was barely able to stop herself from grinning at Attia. Based on her parting kiss with Keiro, and the fact that Keiro came with her to the Council meeting hall at all was more than enough evidence that Attia certainly hadn't been sleeping in that morning.

"She's just distracted about shipment," John said and Attia turned to him.

"Yes," she agreed with a nod, her voice clear and level and not at all as enthusiastic as she felt at the fact that John was bright enough to come up with an excuse and execute it so brilliantly.

"Your shipment?" Finn repeated, his tone obviously one of disbelief. "Of what?"

"Supplies for the children in the villages," John answered as he turned to his father. "It was due three days ago, and I got a messenger that it was to arrive this morning."

"And has it?"

"No, Finn," Attia answered simply and Finn turned to her. He reached for his glass of water in front of him to stop a wide smile from pulling across his lips. Claudia and Mason were less entertained than he was, but neither seemed willing to contradict the story.

"Since when do the pair of you do charity work together?" Finn asked as he set his glass on the table and rose an eyebrow.

"I do lots of charity work," John replied. "And I needed Attia's permission to access the accounts to pay for the supplies."

"Alright," Finn said, deciding that if John put that much effort into his lie then he deserved to get out of the meeting and to take Attia with him. "Well, why don't you go check on your shipment then, and if we need anything we'll send a messenger."

"Well, if we have to go meet the shipment, then your messenger probably won't reach us," Attia told him simply as she started to rise from her seat. John was doing the same on the other side of the table. Finn said nothing as they left the room and shut the door behind them. They were careful to not start laughing until they were a ways down the hallway where their laughter wouldn't travel into the Council meeting they'd deserted.

At the same time, Keiro was wandering aimlessly through the gardens and courtyards until he heard Finn's voice somewhere to the left. As he went in that direction, he found Finn with Princess Avery, the pair of them standing before a squad of the Royal Guard. One of the men near the front was tossing stuffed animals made into the realistic shapes of birds into the air while Finn tossed knives into the air to hit each of them perfectly much like a hunting simulation if it wasn't for the Princess next to him and the squad of men behind him. Avery was laughing as she watched a string of murdered toys fall to the ground, each with a knife in their chests, a kill shot had they been real. Finn always had his mother's arm.

Another man in the squad hurried forward to collect the animals and the knives while the rest of the men cheered. With Mason in the meeting and Finn indulging their need for games, Keiro imagined the Royal Guard was rather enjoying their morning off of duty. When the squad took notice of Keiro, they parted to let him through and reach his son's side. Finn turned to him and stared at him, but said nothing as he turned away to face Avery again.

"Was there anything else you wanted to see out here?" he asked her, obviously intent on using her as an excuse not to speak to his father.

"Finn," Avery said his name in a stern way that turned Keiro's attention to her. She didn't notice as she held Finn's gaze. "Why don't you talk to your father, and I'll try to beat your record," she told him as she reached out and took the throwing knife from his hand. Finn stared at her but she turned away and looked to the man standing nearest to her. His eyes went up to Finn and stayed there until Finn nodded and sighed. The man then looked back to Avery and took the knife from her hand to show her how to properly grip it. At the same time, Finn turned and walked away from the crowd, Keiro following behind them.

"I hear you're not very happy with me," Keiro said after they'd walked away from the crowd far enough so that their words couldn't be so easily overheard.

"Who said that?" Finn replied, his voice calm, his tone purposely reserved.

"Your sister," Keiro answered. "Your mother. Apparently even Princess Avery thinks so."

Finn scoffed at the comment as he turned away from Keiro again, though it wasn't by any fault of Keiro that Finn was suddenly rather sensitive about Princess Avery. Keiro remained silent as he waited for Finn to come back around to him. Finn wasn't like Kyra. Kyra offered up information so easily that Keiro wondered if she could keep a secret at all. Finn was like Attia. Needed to keep a quiet around him before he finally decided to open up, and Keiro would be there waiting for it.

"How much longer will they be here?" Finn finally asked.

"I don't know," Keiro answered truthfully. He wanted to believe that when the DNA test came back, they would leave knowing the truth, but that seemed to unrealistic. Part of Keiro wondered if Lucas would ever leave when the DNA test came back, but he certainly didn't want to voice that fear to Finn.

"Well, I hate them," Finn declared as he met his father's gaze again. Keiro smiled and laughed as he stared at Finn.

"You're not the only one," Keiro assured him. "You're just the only one refusing to talk to me because of them."

"Last I heard you and Mom weren't exactly talking."

"That problem has been fixed," Keiro answered, unable to stop a wide grin from crossing his face.

"Really?" Finn questioned, obviously too upset to believe him. "And how exactly did you manage that?"

Keiro was at loss for an answer. He couldn't very well explain to Finn all the different ways he and Attia got over their problems the night before or the night before that. Clearing his throat, Keiro decided on a vague answer so as not to blatantly lie to his son. "Just just decided that arguing isn't worth it anymore."

"You decided?" Finn repeated as he tried to keep his calm. "People just don't decide to stop fighting! They resolve their issues!"

"Well, your mother and I have a different kind of relationship than you may think," Keiro answered. "We just decide things. It works out better that way, because we don't actually agree on anything."

"Then why do you even bother being together?"

"We're not splitting up, Finn. We've never agreed and Morgan definitely doesn't change that."

"How do you not agree on anything?" Finn questioned, apparently too hung up on that particular concept to move passed it in the conversation.

"She does things her way, and I don't say anything about it. And I do things my way and she doesn't say anything about it. When we start talking, that's when we argue."

"So if you don't talk to each other, what do you do all day?"

Keiro cleared his throat again as he held his son's gaze. He wouldn't say the words out loud, but he had a feeling a grown man would be able to put it all together without any extra help. Finn exclaimed as he turned away from his father and groaned. "I'd rather not talk about all the specifics of my relationship with your mother, so whenever you're ready to talk about Morgan and Lucas, just let me know," Keiro told him.

"That's disgusting," Finn said as he looked to Keiro again.

"You wouldn't let it go, Finn. You're an adult. I'm sure you know where babies come from by now."

"Would you stop!"

"Fine," Keiro said held back any other comments he'd made in his head. "What do you want to know about Morgan?"

"Is that why she got pregnant? Because you two don't agree on anything either?"

Keiro laughed at the comment, but Finn was apparently serious. "Morgan and I had a different kind of relationship than your mother and I. But yes, Morgan and I don't agree on most things either."

"Who do you agree with, then?" Finn questioned. Keiro's lips pulled up in a brief smirk at the question.

"It's pathetic, but Casper," Keiro answered seriously. Finn rolled his eyes as he turned away from his father and started walking. Keiro kept pace and said nothing as he waited for Finn to come back around again.

"Did you cheat on Mom?"

"No," Keiro answered. "Not in the way that you would think as cheating."

"What does that even mean?" Finn questioned as he turned back to Keiro and narrowed his eyes. "That you were with both of them at the same time?"

"Well, your mother likes to think of it as I was cheating on Morgan with her, rather than on her with Morgan."

"What is the difference?"

"Your mother and I weren't together for a while, and I met Morgan, and she was a very attractive woman and I was bored. And then I was… inclined to… be with your mother again, but I never actually told Morgan."

"That sounds convoluted," Finn accused and Keiro laughed.

"I never advocated for the kind of relationship your mother and I have," Keiro said in his own defense. It wasn't as though he'd never acknowledged that his and Attia's relationship wasn't something to strive for. Finn just stared at his father, finding it more difficult to be as angry as he wanted to be. Truthfully, Avery's perspective on the entire situation had improved the way Finn saw his father if nothing else. Again, Finn went quiet as he stared at Keiro, not entirely certain what to say next. Keiro just waited patiently, and the only noise between them was the laughs of the squad of the Royal Guard as they cheered Avery on while she attempted to throw half as well as Finn did.

"So… you and Morgan are… not together?"

"Don't give me nightmares because I pissed you off," Keiro replied and Finn laughed. Keiro smiled at his son, feeling a surge of fatherly pride he'd always denied were possible for him to feel until they happened. "Besides, Morgan and I were nothing really. She wasn't anything any other girl wasn't."

"Then why does she make Mom so mad?"

"It's a good question. If you find out, you should let me know," Keiro told him. Finn rolled his eyes as he led Keiro back to the crowd of the men and Avery. "Honestly, I think if it'd been any other girl who showed up with my kid, which could've as easily happened, your mother would've just bought her a house and sent her on her way. But it was Morgan so now they're fighting like bloody murder, and it's as much of a nightmare for me as it is for you, I'm sure."

"I think our problems are a little different."

"Well, he hasn't spoken to you, has he?" Keiro asked.

"No," Finn answered. "I haven't even seen him since we met."

"Then, what's bothering you?" Keiro asked. "Me and Morgan?" Finn tried to keep his eyes averted, feeling as though his concern made him sound like a small child worried about every little things adults keep from them. Keiro at least didn't wound Finn's pride any further since he just nodded and left the conversation where it was. Just before they reached the squad, however, Keiro put his hand on Finn's shoulder, and the younger turned to the older man.

"Think of your mother as Victoria," Keiro told him. "There's not a chance in hell John could pull anything over her and not lose a body part or two. Except your mother is a little more vindictive and physical in her revenge."

"I guess that would keep anyone in line," Finn admitted and Keiro laughed.

"But that's not why I stay, Finn," Keiro told him, his voice suddenly serious.

"Then why?"

Keiro was quiet as he debated whether or not to answer. He didn't exactly know what to say about the whole situation. He stayed with Attia for several reasons, and many of them weren't the fairytale answers he knew Finn wanted to hear. Unfortunately, Keiro didn't think his pride would let him admit to any of those fairytale answers, even if some of them were true.

"When you find a girl, you'll figure it out," Keiro promised as he held his son's gaze. Finn said nothing further, and eventually nodded. Keiro flashed a brief smile at him before he turned to go back towards Court, leaving Finn free to return to Avery and the other Royal Guardsmen.

"I hit one," Avery said proudly as she turned when Finn approached her again.

"That one, there?" Finn asked pointing to a hit animal on the ground. When Avery nodded, he looked to her and smiled. "How high up was it?"

Avery didn't answer right away as she kept her lips perfectly pressed together. She averted her gaze from Finn as she adjusted her grip on the next knife.

"As high as it is now," one of the other men answered and Finn laughed as Avery's cheeks flushed.

"I've never done it before," she said defensively and Finn nodded at her.

"No, you're right," he told her simply as he moved to stand on her other side. He didn't even notice that Keiro had stopped to watch him as he held Avery's wrist with one hand and adjusted the handle of the knife so that her fingers enclosed it properly. "Try that now," Finn told her as he stepped back and let her throw it at no target in particular. When it flew more or less straight, she turned to him, her face as lit up as it'd been in the gardens. "Good job," he told her, feeling rather entertained and helpful for whatever reason.


	14. Chapter 14

**Lotuslita**, since you asked for the ages and I'll forget if I don't do it now, I'll post two chapters today. :)

At the end of Sapphique, I put Finn and Attia at 18 and Keiro at 20. I don't know why by he's always been older to me. So, that would make Attia and Keiro 27 and 29 when they had little Finn, and Finn and Claudia would be 26 when they had John. That means that in this story, the ages are as follows:

Keiro, Casper: 48 (Anne can be however old you want)

Attia, Finn, Claudia: 46

Morgan: 45 (she would've had Lucas at 19/20 when she and Keiro just broke up at the end of _To Fall and Rise Again_)

Lucas: 26

Prince John, Prince Chase: 24

Little Finn, Chris, Victoria: 23

Princess Charlotte, Princess Avery, Krya: 22

If there's anybody else that you want the ages for, just leave another comment and I'll be sure to answer your questions! And thanks for reading!

* * *

When Keiro got the summons to Finn's office, he was inclined to ignore it as he usually did. With Morgan at Court, however, he thought better of it and decided to make his way there. Any fear he had about Morgan and Attia in the same room intensified when he stepped into Finn's office. Finn and Claudia were standing with Attia near the desk while Morgan and Lucas stood together opposite them. All of Council was present and standing along the back wall of the room. When they noticed Keiro had arrived, they moved in close as Keiro approached the desk, eyes locked on Finn.

"I'm sorry. I had to," Finn told him simply. Attia looked from Finn to Keiro, obviously not certain what exactly what going on. She stared at Keiro, and his lips parted as he was ready to say anything to her, but he found there was nothing for him to say.

"What's going on?" Attia finally demanded, having lost her patience.

"You didn't tell her?" Morgan asked as she looked to Keiro.

"Why? Why do you talk?" Keiro snapped at her before he turned to Attia. She stared at him and he was certain that if there hadn't been witnesses, she'd have already killed him by then. He wanted to say anything to her—any words at all—yet his mouth was determined to stay silent. "I-"

"What?" Attia snapped, having lost any shred of patience she had. She obviously didn't care for the way Keiro, Morgan, and Finn seemed to know something she didn't.

"It's not his fault, Attia," Finn said and Keiro's eyes shot to him suddenly. Attia was reluctant, however, to turn her glare from Keiro to Finn.

"What isn't?" she demanded as she stepped towards Finn. It didn't take someone with impeccable skills to see Finn was as scared of Attia as Keiro was. Finn remained quiet as he held Attia's gaze, trying his best to think of the best way to tell her. "Finn, right now!"

"When the DNA test comes back, we'll have to make Lucas the heir to the High Duke title and property," Finn told her as evenly as he could manage as though to make the statement sound as unemotional and unbiased as possible. The room went perfect still as everyone waited for Attia's response. She hadn't even so much as shifted her gaze away from Finn, but he could tell she wasn't really looking at him anymore. When her eyes cleared and he could tell she'd come back from her thoughts, he continued carefully. "Lady Morgan has brought it to Council's attention that since you and Keiro aren't legally married, Finn isn't a legitimate child, and in the case of no legitimate children, the titles revert to the eldest."

"Chris is our-" Attia started, but stopped. She already knew what Finn would tell her.

"You didn't officially adopt him, so he's not Keiro's son."

Attia went silent again as she comprehended what Finn was telling her. The idea that her son would not inherit Keiro's title and his lands made her sick. "Primstone," she said finally.

"That's yours," Finn said. "It's still set to go to Kyra. And you bought the land for Chris in your name, too. Only the title of High Duke, the High Duke household here at Court, and High Duke Hall will go to Lucas."

"Oh, is that all?" Attia snapped as she turned suddenly to Keiro. He stared at her with a look she'd only seen once before, but she was livid. He didn't so much as have a chance to breathe let alone make any attempt to calm her. "Are those the only things that bitch is taking?"

"Attia, I-"

"I don't want to talk to you," she said sharply as she pushed his arm away from her and started towards the door. Keiro followed her, determined to not let everything they had destroyed. All he could think was that the last few days they had were perfect and they were gone just like that.

"No, Attia, come on-" he said as he managed to grab hold of her arm. She whipped back around, her arm swinging to get free of his grasp. Her other arm went to her side and came back out so quickly that the next thing Keiro knew was the feel of a sharpened knife point in his throat. He looked down briefly to recognize the bronze handle. She was threatening him with a blade that had their initials engraved into the steel. He was sure there was a nice ironic story in there somewhere.

"I'm leaving."

"Please, don't," he said the desperation in his voice clear. He swallowed, his throat pressing uncomfortably into the sharp tip of her knife. "Just, one night, Attia."

"No," she answered as she shook her throat. "I'm going to Primstone with my father."

"If you're going to stab me, then you might as well do it now," he told her sharply and she scoffed, her arm shaking with her dry laugh, but he trusted her steady arm even if everyone else in the room was terrified for his life.

"Fuck you, Keiro," she told him simply as she dropped her arm to her side and turned to leave the room. Keiro wiped the bead of blood that collected at the surface of his skin where her knife went a millimeter too deep. He knew better than to follow her. He drew in a breath, aware everyone could still see him on the verge of breaking down. Rather than face them, he left the room and went down the hallway in the opposite direction of Attia so as to limit the chances of seeing her while she still wanted to kill him.

Finn knew Keiro's only fear had been that Attia would leave him, and now that it seemed that was exactly what had happened, Finn started after Keiro within a minute. Finn jogged down the hallways, feeling every last day of his years as he panted, his eyes peeled for any sign of Keiro. Finally, he found the blonde leaning against a wall in the back of Court where nobody ever went. His face was strained, his hands clutched into such tight fists that his knuckles were ghost white. Every muscle in his body was tense, and at the sight of him, Finn flashed back to Incarceron when the floors opened up beneath them and their lives could end at any second. Except there was something fundamental different about Keiro now compared to how he tensed up Inside. Rather than sheer determination keeping Keiro's eyes steady, it was pain. Pain so intense that even Finn a stab in his chest at the idea that the only person who'd ever gotten Keiro to feel, the person who knew exactly who he was and wanted him anyway didn't want him anymore.

When Keiro let out a breath of air, Finn had a feeling it was his first in at least a few moments. It was short and desperate like his lungs had been deprived for some time. But it was also a sob, a barely holding onto terrible reality sob that made his fist unclench as his knees gave out and he slide down the wall until he sat on the ground. His hands went up to bury his face as another more pronounced half sob half gasp went through him.

Finn approached him slowly and sat down beside him, uncertain of what else to do. He'd never seen Keiro broken before. Not really. Not so entirely broken that he didn't care who saw him. Attia probably had, and Attia probably knew exactly what to do, but Finn didn't. He just hoped that sitting there and neglecting his responsibilities was enough, or at least something.

"You said she wouldn't leave," Keiro accused, his voice not nearly as sharp as Finn thought he meant it to be.

"I'm sorry," Finn answered. He hadn't really believed Attia would leave. And if she knew what she'd done to him, Finn truly, honestly believed that she wouldn't leave after all. That she would come and do whatever it was that made Keiro come back together again. Or maybe he just didn't want to believe that Attia, one of three people he trusted entirely, could be so cruel. Of course, he knew he was having a difficult time seeing the problem objectively. With Keiro threatening to fall apart entirely right beside him, Finn didn't have the heart to see it from Attia's perspective.

"Maybe if you meet her before she leaves-"

"What?" Keiro said, his voice sounding manic since a sarcastic laugh that held no humor came out laced with his words. "So she can put that knife all the way through my throat this time?"

"Keiro, you don't-"

"I don't want to hear it, Finn," Keiro snapped and Finn obediently stopped talking. They sat there in silence, the occasional huff of air passing though Keiro's mouth, for what seemed like hours and hours. Finn could feel his back starting to stiffen and his legs beginning to cramp, but he wouldn't leave Keiro. Keiro was his best friend of everyone, and he honestly didn't trust Keiro to be alone at any rate. Finn had no idea what Keiro was thinking, but he certainly wouldn't ask.

He had no idea that all Keiro could think about was the feel of Attia's smile when she kissed him. How her arms locked around his neck when he held her. They hadn't locked like that around him in months until the last few days, and he'd have given anything to feel that again. To feel her wanting him. Needing him. He liked to feel needed, and now he was the one who needed. He needed to know that the last time he saw Attia wouldn't be with a knife between them. He needed to know what whatever sick, twisted, convoluted—as little Finn had put it—relationship was between them wasn't over yet. He wasn't ready for it to be over. It'd been years and years and years, and he still wasn't ready for that. He doubted he ever would be. Even if she never needed him again, he wanted to know that if he rolled too far over in the middle of the night, she would push him back and curl up beside him. She didn't even have to curl up, for that matter.

Of all those things he wanted or thought, he was only certain of one thing. They'd spilt up in the past, they'd had big fights and little fights, and she'd threatened to leave him before, but the scene in Finn's office was different. It felt different. It felt real. All those other times, he'd have bet his life that when he went back to their room that night, she would be there and she would even kiss him again. This time, he wasn't so sure he was ready to stake something like his life on that gamble.

Finally, Keiro pushed himself up to his feet, and Finn did the same. Keiro started down the hallway, and Finn debated whether or not to follow him. "Are you ok?"

"No," Keiro answered seriously before he disappeared around the nearest corner. He walked all the way back to the High Duke household, finding Kyra, Chris, and Finn all lined up in the hallway. The three were very concerned looking, but Keiro could hardly force his feet to move let alone try to carry on any conversation even with his children. He passed by them to reach the door to their room, but he stopped in the doorway.

All the thinking he did about how it felt to lose her entirely didn't compare the actual sight of the room devoid of most of her things. Drawers on the dresser were carelessly left open and empty, hangers littered the floor and shoes that she never wore were scattered about the room. Even some of his things were strewn around as though she'd tossed them out of her way as she collected and packed her things.

Another breath came out of his mouth, and it must've sounded more like a sob than anything else, because the next thing he knew was Kyra's arms around his middle, her head resting against his side. He moved his arm to her back, but his eyes stayed on the sight of their—his—room. He'd never cried before in his life, so when he felt Kyra's fingers wiping his cheek, he was suddenly pulled to the strange feeling of moisture collected in his eyes. They burned and when he blinked, the sensation only intensified. His breaths were more ragged than before, and though he'd wanted to keep some semblance of a normal person in front of his children, they just reminded him of Attia even more. He felt his back hit the hall again, Kyra's arms tightening around him. Finn and Chris suddenly appeared at his other side, and Kyra started to cry just because he was crying already.

"I'm sorry," he told them finally, and he felt Kyra's head shaking against him. She held him so tightly, that he wasn't even sure he could fall down if his knees hadn't locked up. One of his hands wound up on the back of Kyra's head, the other clutched to Finn's hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't want-"

"It's ok, Daddy," Kyra told him as she pulled away long enough to wrap her arms around his neck and hug him again. His arm tightened around her as he held her. "We love you no matter what," she told him as she pressed a kiss to his cheek.


	15. Chapter 15

Attia was in a spare guestroom in the Primstone Manor. The room that belonged to her and Keiro was too much for her to handle. She still hadn't completely come to terms that Lucas would inherit everything that was supposed to be Finn's. Logically, she knew it wasn't really Keiro's fault that Morgan got pregnant before she did, but her couldn't stop being mad at him. Couldn't stop feeling so betrayed. Couldn't stop feeling like Keiro had chosen Morgan over her, making every one of her insecurities come to life. The idea that Morgan could've made Keiro happier haunted her every second, and she couldn't so much as stand to be in a room that Keiro had been in previously without breaking down.

All those things were so all-consuming that she hadn't even heard the door open as Ronan let himself into the room carrying a tray of food. "Claire made you something to eat," he said as he set the tray down on the bed stand. He sat on the very edge of the bed as he looked down at Attia, wondering if she'd ever really had her heart broken before.

"I'm not hungry," Attia told him without turning to meet his gaze. She could feel his hand on her back moving up and down as though that was supposed to make her feel better.

"You haven't eaten since we got here," Ronan said and Attia sighed as she forced herself up and turned to her father. She knew her eyes were red, and she could feel how puffy they were. She'd stopped crying an hour ago, and yet the effects still hadn't completely gone away. She'd only cried a few times before, and Keiro had never been a reason for her to cry. She'd cried about her father only once, cried in pain when she had her children, and cried when she lost her last pregnancy. Keiro had never made her cry before, and the thought that he had now nearly made her cry all over again. She was determined to not let that happen.

"I'm still not hungry," she told him, and Ronan nodded as he reached out to touch her hand.

"Did you talk to Kyra and Finn?"

"Yeah," Attia answered as she nodded. "I told them I was leaving Court for a while. Said I'd send word in a couple days."

"I mean did you tell them about you and Keiro?"

"No," Attia answered as she shook her head. "I'm pretty sure they knew, anyway. They certainly know now."

"I hate to see you at odds like this," he said and Attia scoffed as she stared to lay back down. "It's not his fault, Attia."

"I know. If one more person tells me that-"

"Alright," Ronan said before she could continue. "He loves you, that's all. And I know you love him, even if you've always been terrified of admitting it."

"That's not true," she replied bitterly.

"Really?" he pressed. "So you're not thinking that your entire relationship was a mistake?"

She would never know how her father knew what she was thinking, she was sure. Then again, she knew exactly how Finn, Kyra, and Chris thought, and she'd never abandoned them. Her pain made her think the worst of everyone, so she left that comment out. She didn't want to wound her father even if she couldn't help her thought process.

"He needs you, Attia."

"You don't know that," Attia replied sharply, her voice hard and even.

"He's falling completely apart, and won't talk to anyone except Kyra."

"How could you possibly-" Attia started, then stopped when she looked up at him to see him reading from a piece of paper. "What is that?"

"I sent word to Court when we arrived. Finn wrote back to me."

"Which one?"

"Your son," Ronan answered as he handed over the note. "It's just about Keiro. He apparently broke down when he saw you'd really left him." Attia read the words over carefully and slowly then handed it back to her father. She swallowed as she laid back down on the bed and forced her eyes to stay focused on the wall.

"Feels like he chose her over me," she finally admitted.

"Darling, he'd never," Ronan told her as he continued to rub her back. He started coughing suddenly, and Attia looked up at him, somewhat concerned. "I'm fine. Just something in my throat," he said when the fit passed. He smiled reassuringly at Attia, and she was too caught up in her own pain to take his words for anything other than face value. She just laid back down and her eyes returned to the wall. Ronan leaned over her to press a kiss to her temple before he stood up and retreated from the room.

Down stairs, Claire peered up at the stairwell when she heard Ronan's footsteps coming down the steps. She marked the page of her book before she set it on the table and moved over on the couch to make room for him beside her. As he sat down, he put his arm around her before he kissed her cheek softly.

"Did you talk to her?" Claire asked, and Ronan nodded his answered. Claire turned her head to meet Ronan's gaze and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Did you tell her, Ronan?"

"I can't, Claire," he answered defensively as he pulled his arm back from her shoulders. He could feel a disagreement coming. "She's already too worried about things, and I don't want her worried about me."

"Ronan," Claire sighed as she put her hand over one of his. "You can't keep pushing it back and back. She deserves to know."

"I know," Ronan answered, though his words weren't very convincing.

"What did the Healer at Court say?" she finally asked. Ronan was so secretive about his health that he hadn't told her the outcome of his appointment when he'd seen the Healer after Kyra's wedding. And she'd never asked until then simply because part of her was afraid of his answer.

"He said a couple months, but maybe less. It's hard to tell," Ronan answered. "Something about breathing in metal shavings and dust for half my life isn't good."

Claire remained quiet at his answer, and when Ronan finally turned to her, he saw the silent tears that started to fall down her cheeks. "Sweetheart," he said gently as he reached up to wipe them away. "It's alright," he promised as he moved closer to her to kiss her cheek, then her lips. "I'm alright."

"What about me?" she questioned as she looked up at him. It was selfish, and she knew that, and she knew he recognized it based on the way he smiled at her. "How are you alright with it? How can you be ok with this?"

"I had a nice life," he told her as he leaned over to kiss her forehead. "It wasn't as terrible as I used to think it was. I got a daughter. Got grandchildren. Got you. I think I would be ok with all that now."

"Ronan, why are you so-" she started then stopped herself. It did no use questioning how rational he could be. She'd learned that years ago, and the answer would not change even in her grief. She stayed quiet as she felt Ronan's hand move up and down her back in his attempt to soothe her.

"Did you tell Zoe or Vivian?"

"No," Claire answered with a shake of her head. She turned to look at Ronan and met his gaze. "I told Zoe, but not Vivian. I figured you didn't want Attia to know from her."

"Attia and Zoe don't talk?"

"Are you trying to be funny because you're dying?" Claire replied sharply and Ronan actually laughed, even if she'd meant the comment to be biting. "Of course they don't talk, Ronan. The only reason Vivian and Attia talk is because they're both at Court, and Vivian is married to Mason."

Ronan only nodded in agreement as he held his wife's gaze. There was nothing else he could say to her to make her feel better, and she seemed to recognize that, even if she wanted him to try anyway. "I just don't want her to be overwhelmed. She's already heartbroken, Claire. When Keiro gets here, then I'll think about telling them."

"How do you know he'll come?" Claire questioned.

"Because," Ronan answered as he shrugged his shoulders. He said the word as though it were an answer in and of itself, but when Claire refused to accept it as that, Ronan sighed and turned away from her for a moment. After gathering his thoughts, he turned back to her. "Because he will. Because he's never left her before."

"He wasn't the one who left," Claire pointed out and Ronan only shrugged again. He couldn't explain how he knew Keiro would come, he just knew. It was the way Keiro looked at Attia that made Ronan so sure that Keiro wouldn't let her stay in the kind of pain she was in. Since he seemed to believe that so whole heartedly, Claire nodded and left it alone, deciding she didn't want to be the rational one for once, she'd leave that for Ronan whenever he felt like it.

A couple of days passed and Attia slowly came out for meals, then retreated either to her guest room or to the back of the manor where she walked around the grounds. She'd sent word to Court only once or twice, and both times had been to her children, never Keiro. Ronan didn't tell her Keiro sent a message to him asking about Attia, but he answered it all the same. It seemed to solidify his idea that Keiro would come for Attia at some point. He didn't realize that despite all he knew was between the two, Keiro wasn't as courageous as he gave him credit for. Keiro was simply too afraid to see Attia like that, when she was too unpredictable.

At Court, Keiro carried on roughly the same way Attia did at Primstone. He'd stayed in their room, though there was a lack of Attia's things that made the room feeling depressingly more like his room than theirs. The only things Attia left behind were the things she'd never or rarely used, and since she never or rarely used them, they didn't feel like hers to him. When Kyra and Chris moved out of their rooms to a larger one Finn had made up for them, Keiro came out to help them move. It was the first time he came out of the room for something other than food, so Kyra, Chris, and little Finn made the most of it.

As Kyra arranged some of their wedding gifts around the room, Keiro helped unpack a few other things with Chris, while little Finn was perched up on a table helping to hang curtains over the window. He'd had another guard take over his duties with Princess Avery for the day to spend time with his father, but Keiro wasn't so lost in his own world to not recognize that part of Finn wanted to get back to Avery as soon as possible.

"What's this?" Chris asked curiously as he pulled out a long flat envelop that had Chris' name written across the front. Keiro took it when Chris handed it over, but Keiro didn't open it when he recognized Attia's handwriting on the front.

"It was on Mom's desk," Kyra said when she turned back to see what Chris had asked about. "She gave it to me to give to you just before she left."

Keiro let out a dry laugh as he nodded and handed it over to Chris. "That's for you," Keiro told him as he held Chris' gaze. Chris looked confused as he took the envelop back and slowly opened it. He pulled out a stack of papers from inside, and started to look over the front page. He noticed that there were small plastic markers on various sides of all the pages that indicated where signatures were necessary.

"Title Deed?" Chris questioned as he looked up at Keiro.

"For what?" Kyra asked as she stopped what she was doing to come to Chris' side.

"It's an old property Attia bought for you a long time ago," Keiro answered as he found a pen that had fallen to the bottom of the box he was unpacking with Chris. He took off the cap of the pen and handed it to Chris before he continued. "It's the property where your parents' house was. We bought it when you were about… I don't know nine or ten. And we'd been building the house up again since then. The contractor just finished it about a year ago, but you were engaged by then, so Attia told me she wanted to wait to give it to you as wedding gift." Keiro paused as he stared at the stack of paper then looked up at Kyra. "Of course, you're also set to inherit Primstone, but when we made all these plans, we never thought you'd get married to each other."

Chris remained silent as he stared down at the papers, his eyes reading the location of the property over and over. "You bought my parents' house?"

"Yeah," Keiro answered. "We thought you'd have liked it. We had the new house designed like the old one, but now it has electricity and plumbing. And we got rid of the outhouse and filled in that hole. That was gross, by the way."

"We were poor," Chris said as he started to laugh. Keiro smiled at him as he nodded and eventually laughed as well.

"I think the contractor charged extra for that."

The room went quiet as Chris just stared down at the papers in disbelief. It was Kyra who picked up Chris' hand to get him to sign his name across the bottom. He managed one signature before he looked up at Keiro again. "I can't believe you guys did this," he admitted.

"It was mostly her idea, not mine," Keiro said with a shrug. "She does all of that stuff."

"Is that why everything is hers except the High Duke stuff?" Finn asked from the other side of the room. Keiro didn't turn to him right away, but Kyra had looked up to shoot a look at her brother. Recently, Finn had been good at not picking any fights with his father, but since learning that he wouldn't stand to inherit anything anymore, he'd gone bitter towards Keiro once more.

"Yeah, that's why," Keiro answered finally as he nodded. He'd not broken down again since the first time, but he could feel himself getting closer and closer to it again with every stabbing comment Finn made. "She actually handles all that stuff too, just not in name."

"Well, she's probably not going to do that anymore either," Finn said. Keiro shut his eyes as he tried to focus himself on his breathing. He said nothing as he stood up to leave the room, but not before pressing a kiss to Kyra's cheek. After leaving the room, he heard Kyra beginning to reprimand Finn for the comments, but Keiro couldn't really force himself to be all that mad at Finn for the way he acted.

Rather than go back to his own room and risk falling back to the place where all he did was hurt, Keiro went to the bar at Court. He didn't go there often, but lately it seemed like the best place to get all the other things off of his mind. As soon as he got there, the bar tender began mixing up a drink for him that was ready before Keiro even sat down at the counter. The bartender let him have four drinks before he wouldn't serve Keiro anymore, forcing him to get to his feet.

His vision wasn't too blurry, and he'd definitely been drunker in the past, but it seemed his age played a bigger role in his ability to handle alcohol than he assumed it would. He did, however, manage to make it out of the bar and towards his room, and when he got there, he was even able to make out Morgan's outline standing outside the bedroom door.

The next thing he knew, his hands were on each side of her waist, their lips connected and moving faster than the pace of a chaste kiss. Her arms were around his neck, her body arching to press completely against his. When her hand came down from his neck, it traced its way down his chest until her hand came off of his body to reach behind her. The sound of her hand jiggling the doorknob pulled Keiro's drunken mind back to reality and he pulled away from her. He groaned as he shook his head and stepped back until he felt his back hit the wall.

She'd left the door shut behind her as she stared across the narrow hall at Keiro. Her lips were red, her lip color smudged, her cheeks flushed. She looked as guilty as he did, and apparently felt every bit of it since she turned and fled down the hallway before either said anything.


	16. Chapter 16

She may have been the foreign Princess, but even Avery had heard the rumors, so when Finn was silent as he walked with her, she didn't press him to say anything. Every time he met her gaze, she smiled at him brightly, hoping that it would magically make him feel better, but it never seemed to work. "If you want someone else to stay with you today-"

"No," she objected as she shook her head. She turned her head up to meet his gaze, her unwavering smile as genuine as always. "I want to be with you," she told him, then realized how the words sounded. Finn didn't seem to notice what she said other than to take in the meaning, so she averted her eyes as she waited for the blush on her cheeks to cool.

They were seated indoors, in a room Finn had shown to her a couple days back. It was furnished with tables all around the walls, and a larger table in the center, where they were seated across from each other. Since Avery had found the room, she requested all her meals be brought there since she enjoyed the view from that room better than any other.

"Will you talk to me about it?" Avery finally asked when it seemed Finn wasn't the type to ever offer up his thoughts. She was used to that, because many didn't feel they had the right to talk to her as though they were human and she were human too. Finn hadn't been like that until now, but she wanted to believe it was due to his anger or sadness.

He looked up at her again and stared into her dark brown eyes. She held his gaze easily, as though she could not feel the intensity in his gaze. "My mother left Court."

"I'm sorry," she answered softly. She set down her fork gently and folded her hands in her lap, then focused all of her attention on Finn. "Did she not find you before she left?"

"She did," Finn said as he nodded. "But she still left."

"Not because of you."

"I know, but now my father is-" Finn stopped himself and shook his head. Avery knew that the reason Finn had stopped speaking had nothing to do with her station but with his own issues. "It's like everything is falling apart all of a sudden."

"I'm sure she never intended for that, Finn," Avery said as she stood up to move to one of the chairs between them. She put her hands on the table as she faced him entirely and smiled.

"I know," he replied with a nod. He knew that his mother's decision had nothing to do with him or Kyra or Chris, but everything to do with Morgan and Lucas. That, however, only added to his feelings that Morgan and Lucas were changing everything, even the things they had no right to touch or change.

"I wish I could cheer you up," Avery admitted. "I don't like it when people are sad."

"Maybe because you're so perpetually happy."

"Is that supposed to be an insult?"

"No," Finn answered as he actually laughed and looked up at her again. "It's definitely not an insult, Princess."

"Avery," she corrected him, for what seemed like the hundredth time. He smiled at her as he had every time before when she corrected him, and she knew the next time he wouldn't say her name again. "And I don't believe that I am perpetually happy."

"No? What saddens you, then?"

Avery stared at Finn as she thought about his question. "I don't like that my entire life will be planned out for me, as it always has been."

"Is that irritating or saddening?" he probed and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I suppose it's more irritating than saddening," she admitted.

"Then what makes you sad?"

Quiet fell around them as they stared at each other. Avery knew the answer to his question, but she waited for her internal debate to come to a conclusion before she said anything. "It makes me sad that I'm perfectly capable of carrying on conversation, or having opinions, or… or thinking for myself, yet nobody allows me, or asks me what I think or how I feel. My father doesn't care, doesn't regard anything I have to say as important, and everyone else only humors me. No one really cares what I think about anything. That makes me sad."

Finn continued to hold her gaze, feeling the weight of her confession hang between them. Finally, he nodded slowly as he moved his hand to rest over hers, one of the only gestures he knew to comfort someone. "I care."

Avery tried to keep his gaze, wanted to keep his gaze, but her eyes turned away before she could stop them, and her arms pulled her hands back to her body, leaving Finn's holding nothing on the table. She swallowed as she tried to slow the racing rate of her heart and keep her gaze away from Finn.

"Thank you," he said suddenly and in her curiosity, her eyes flicked back to him.

"For what?"

"Making me feel better," he answered, a weak smile across his lips. It went away so quickly, and it had hardly been there at all to begin with, but it was still a real smile. A smile that, according to him, she'd put there, and that was more than enough for her smile back at him as brightly as she wanted him to smile. "Would you like to walk the gardens again, today?"

"No, I think I'd like to stay indoors," she answered him, feeling their usual conversation come back between them.

"There's somewhere I'd like to take you, if you don't mind."

"Of course not," she answered. "Lead the way."

Finn smiled at her, a smile that was a bit brighter than before and lasted a little longer. He stood up as she did before he motioned towards the door. He offered her his arm as he usually did, and they stared down the hallway. He wondered what he would say to Charlotte and Chase when he brought Avery to their seating area, but he didn't dwell on it too long so as to change his mind.

"Where are you taking me, if I can ask?" She tilted her head as she peered up at him and he turned down to her briefly.

"It's where I spend all my time, usually, when I'm not on duty. It's where all of us stay all the time and talk and drink and play games."

"I feel honored you're taking me there," she said with a laugh and Finn returned the laugh. "It sounds like a place you don't share."

"We don't usually, but we can keep it a secret."

"Alright," she laughed and nodded. It was a few minute walk to cross Court then reach the seating area. Finn opened the door for her, then motioned for her to step into the room first. Avery stepped in tentatively, then paused when she saw Charlotte and Chase seated on the couch. They stared up at Avery, then at Finn when he appeared behind her.

"Really?" Charlotte questioned as she stood up and realized she'd not changed out of her sleep attire. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt and shorts that left more of her legs visible than she would allow out in public.

Finn recognized Charlotte's first thought, so he rolled his eyes as he motioned for Avery to move further into the room. "She doesn't care. Let it go," Finn assured her as he let Avery choose where she wanted to be seated. "You remember Charlotte, and Chase?" he asked as he looked to her.

"Of course," Avery answered brightly as she smiled at each of them. Chase returned the smile with one of his grins and Charlotte and Finn turned to him with straight faces.

"How have you enjoyed your stay so far?" Chase asked as he moved to sit on the edge of the couch so as to improve his line of sight to Avery. "You'll have to excuse our appearances. Finn didn't give us any notice and if we'd-"

"Stop it," Finn said simply before Chase could finish. Chase looked up at Finn and narrowed his eyes, but Finn shook his head as he ignored the look Chase sent him. "I don't care, Chase. She's off limits. Sorry."

"Oh, come on," Chase protested and Charlotte rolled her eyes. "It's not like John-"

"No," Finn told him, still shaking his head.

"Fine," Chase agreed reluctantly as he leaned back in his seat. He said nothing else to Avery as he picked up his hand of cards from the table where he'd set them in order to provide his undivided attention to Avery. He studied the cards carefully before he played his hand and the everlasting game of cards between him and Charlotte resumed.

"So this is where we are all the time," Finn explained as he sat on a chair across from Avery's and met her gaze. "That's Charlotte's room through there, and Chase's is back there," he added as he motioned to a door then a hallway.

"And back there?" Avery asked pointed to the other side of the room.

"John's room," Finn answered. "Are you thirsty?"

"Do you have water or tea?"

"We have scotch," Charlotte answered and Finn rolled his eyes as he stood up.

"We have water," he told her. Avery nodded before she turned to Charlotte and Chase again. She watched them play, turning her eyes away only to take her water from Finn's hand.

"What game are you playing?" she asked curiously, and Charlotte and Chase paused for a moment to look at each other. Within the hour, Avery, Charlotte, and Chase were playing cards together, their stack of coins in the center of the table growing larger and larger with every passing turn. They all laughed as Chase lost another hand, then laughed again as he checked all the cheating tricks he'd learned of recently, only to find none of them in practice. Every time Avery lost a hand, Finn handed her another few gold coins to keep her playing, and he even whispered in her ear what to play whenever she looked up at him with uncertainty. Charlotte and Chase exchanged looks whenever Finn and Avery conversed, but they didn't notice.

As Avery played a game-winning hand, the four began to laugh and cheer, Chase included. They'd grown so loud, that they'd not even heard the door open. Charlotte was the first to notice John and Victoria in the doorway, Victoria's face hardened and cold. Finn turned and noticed them when Chase did, but Avery had her back to the wall. When she turned to Finn, she noticed his gaze on the door, so she looked to see John and Victoria as well, though she'd no idea what to do.

"Avery," John said, his voice controlled and measured as he stepped around Victoria to approach her.

"Sorry for intruding," Avery replied as she got to her feet. "Charlotte and Chase were just showing me how to play their game."

"Were they?" Victoria asked as she stepped forward and Avery turned her gaze to her.

"I don't-" Avery started, then stopped, realizing she didn't know how to say what she wanted. She turned to Finn, her eyes wide and pleading, forcing him to stand and come to her side.

"I told her about you and Victoria," Finn admitted, pulling John and Victoria's gazes to him. The room was silent as Victoria and John stared at Finn, Avery looked between the three of them, and Charlotte and Chase grinned at the sudden entertainment.

"Did you forget the concept of humoring the idea of a marriage contract?" John asked, his voice as measured as it had been before.

"No," Finn answered as he narrowed his eyes. "It's just stupid."

"And when she runs back to her daddy dearest-"

"I won't tell him," Avery said before Victoria could finish. Victoria's blue eyes flashed to Avery, and the Princess suddenly felt every bit of the resentment Victoria harbored towards her. "It's not like he listens to me anyway."

"That is actually true," John said as he looked back to Victoria.

"I don't care," Victoria said sharply. "Why did you bring her here in the first place, Finn?"

"Because I can. Just because you're bitchy doesn't mean-" Finn started then stopped himself, vaguely aware that the conversation they were having wasn't appropriate for Avery as their audience.

"Doesn't meant what?" Victoria pressed as she stepped towards Finn, but John held his arm out to wrap around Victoria's waist. She tried to fight but John was stronger than she, and he managed to back her away from Finn and Avery. Bending down, he aligned his lips with her ear and started to whisper.

"Come on, Tor," he said gently. "It'll be easier now that she knows. You don't have to pretend to not be with me, not that you were doing that very well, anyway." Victoria huffed at his commented as she put her hands on his chest and pushed him away from her. "Come on," John called as she slipped passed him and started towards the door. "I bet she'll let you win at cards now."

"Like I need anyone to let me win, John," Victoria replied sharply as she turned and faced him with narrowed eyes. "I'm on Council. I can read a face better than any of you."

"Care to play, then?" Avery asked and Victoria turned her gaze to the Princess. Finn was shocked at Avery's boldness, but he said nothing to stop her.

"Fine," Victoria said bitterly as she crossed the room once more to reach the sitting area. John sat on the arm chair, expecting Victoria to sit beside Charlotte on the couch, but instead Victoria sat on John's lap and draped her legs over his. Though she'd done it hundreds of times before, John knew it was just for Avery's benefit, but the Princess hardly seemed to notice the gesture as she stacked up her winnings with Finn's help.

"We'll play teams," Charlotte announced as she started dealing the cards. "It's always better with only three hands. Me and Chase, John and Victoria, and Finn and Princess Avery." Everyone nodded in agreement on the teams, and the game began. Avery and Finn whispered back and forth more often than anybody else, simply because John let Victoria play however she wanted, and Charlotte and Chase knew each other's game styles well enough to not even need to speak to each other.

During one of the hands, Finn and Avery seemed to be carrying on an entire conversation with one another before they finally agreed on a card to play, then both broke out into laughter about something nobody else could figure out. The other four in the room watched them in sheer amazement, Victoria included, but nobody dared comment on it.

Eventually, the game ended, and it was time for Finn to escort Avery back to her room, where her night shift guards were already waiting. They walked down the hall, Avery's gold coins jingling in her hand as she carried them. She didn't make out as well as she could have due to a few badly played hands, but she still took Charlotte and Chase for everything they were worth. The walk to her room was filled with a comfortable silence between them, neither feeling any inclination to say anything further. As they drew nearer and nearer to her room, however, Avery started glancing up at Finn. He'd caught only a few of them out of the corner of his eye and turned to meet them, but she shifted her gaze away too quickly.

As they reached the last corner to turn, Avery stopped and put her hand on Finn's arm to stop him. He looked down at her, and though she'd come to accept why she felt different whenever he looked at her, she hoped that his gaze really was different and it wasn't just her imagination that he didn't want to take her back anymore than she wanted him to. "Goodnight, Finn," she told him finally, knowing she didn't want the night guards to hear her even if there was nothing revealing in her words.

"Good night, Princess," he answered slowly, his eyes staying locked on hers.

"Avery," she corrected again, her heart racing. Silence passed between them, and Avery almost turned away from him, but she was glad she didn't.

"Avery," he said. That was effective in getting her heart rate to slow, though it caused the other extreme to happen. Her heart stopped entirely for a moment as she took in the sound of her name from his lips as an overwhelming heat in her chest consumed her. She smiled at him, but somehow that smile looked different to him. It wasn't as wide as her usual smiles, but it felt more real than any of the others to him.

"Say that again," she said, aware that her voice sounding pleadingly, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Avery." As he indulged her, he dared to lift a hand and push a hair from her face, and she tilted her head into his fingers, her heart stopping again at the brief contact. He seemed to like it as much as she, since he moved his hand so that his palm touched her cheek, his thumb brushing her jaw line, her chin, then her lips. She shut her eyes as she took in the feel of his hand on her face, her lips. She swallowed and forced herself to remember to breathe, but that a useless thought when she suddenly felt his lips on hers.

At first they were just pressed together. She even thought he would pull away and leave her with that brief, barely there kiss that would be enough to make the heat in her chest last through the night. Then, his lips moved and she mirrored the movement, uncertain of what else to do. He kept kissing her, his other hand slowly but eventually moving to rest on her waist. After a few moments, he pulled away and sucked in a breath. She opened her eyes to look at him, but he kept his eyes screwed shut, certain that she would not forgive him for stealing a kiss the way he had. When he finally did open his eyes, however, her face was so bright, even in the darkness of the evening, that he couldn't help but match her smile.

"Good night," she repeated, her voice lower than usual, but sounding entirely different to him.

He only nodded at her, not trusting himself to speak. She took one steps towards the corner, but stopped and turned to him once more. Her lips pulled into another soft smile, her cheeks red with a deep blush, before she turned back and continued down the hallway towards her room.


	17. Chapter 17

Finn forced Keiro to take Attia's place in the Council meetings just to get him to come out of his room. So Keiro sat in Attia's seat between Finn and Mason and across from Claudia, though he added nothing to the debate. He'd told nobody about his exchange with Morgan a few days ago, but he'd been unable to get it to stay off of his mind completely. If anybody noticed that something was bothering him, they didn't make it known, but he assumed he'd been such a disaster for the last week that nobody caught sight of anything different.

Keiro only paid attention to the meeting when he heard the door open suddenly. Nearly all eyes turned to see the usual messenger from Primstone. Usually, messengers were required to wait until Council meetings were over to finish their task, but Keiro assumed that if Attia was sending the message, she'd have either threatened him or paid him off well. Given the mood she was likely in, he guessed threatened. The messenger averted his eyes from all the eyes watching him as he made his way around the table. As he presented the folded page to Keiro, he stepped away from the table as though to wait for Keiro's response.

He was aware everyone was watching him read the page, and blaming him for interrupting the meeting, but Keiro hardly cared at all. He stood up suddenly and turned to Finn, his eyes wide, but he said nothing. "I have to go, Finn," Keiro said simply as he handed off the note to him. He turned and left the Council meeting hall, the messenger following on his heels. Keiro didn't want to see the look on Finn's face as he read that Attia's father had died suddenly in the night. She'd not requested Keiro come, but Finn knew that was exactly what Keiro would do. She had, however, asked that Keiro tell Finn to hold off on the funeral arrangements for three days, and to not tell the children until just before that. She didn't offer any explanations, but Finn would follow her directions without requiring them.

"What is it?" Claudia asked, and Finn looked up at her before he shook his head. He didn't answer her as he turned to one of the Council members standing behind him and motioned for one to come towards him.

"Go to Keiro's room and have him send word when he gets there," Finn instructed. The man stared at Finn but eventually nodded and followed directions. "We'll continue," he said finally as he turned back to the table and held King Logan's gaze. The rest of the table seemed uncertain if that was the best idea, but nobody would disagree with him.

Keiro reached Primstone within two hours, a relatively fast time given that he didn't exactly have the stamina he did in his youth. He did as Finn asked and sent a messenger back to Court that he'd arrived, and went to the Primstone Manor. The front door was open and he let himself in to see Claire sitting on the couch in the front seating area. She'd obviously been crying, her eyes red and puffy, her nose raw. She smiled weakly at Keiro as he approached her slowly. He'd not even thought of what to do with Claire, only that he'd come to see Attia. He knew, of course, that Claire would be there and be in pain, but he didn't even think of what he'd do about it.

"She's upstairs in one of the guest rooms on the left," Claire said simply, giving Keiro an excuse to not sit with her and pretend to try to make her feel better. Keiro only nodded, his mind half wondering why Attia was in a guestroom, half not really caring either way. He didn't ask as he turned and started up the stairs and turned left. He opened ever door of all the rooms he knew did not belong to anyone until he finally found the room where Attia was laying across the bed. Her head shot up instantly at the sound of an intruder, and she froze as she stared at Keiro in the doorway.

Her eyes were like Claire's, but Keiro found the sight of Attia far more heart wrenching than Claire. He swallowed, and steeled himself should she reject him even in her current state, before he slowly took one step into the room and shut the door behind him.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned.

"Came to make sure you were ok," he answered honestly, seeing no reason in playing games with her now. She could hate him all she wanted but he doubted he'd be leaving Primstone any time soon.

The room went quiet again as Attia stared at Keiro. She was considering his answer and whether or not she wanted him. Keiro could see that in her eyes so he remained in the doorway, all the way across the room from the bed, where she was laying completely on one side of the bed, her side of the bed. Even in their separation, she seemed to leave room for him on the bed. Whether or not that was the case, Keiro didn't care only that the idea made him feel just a little better.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, she nodded once and laid back down. Keiro crossed the room slowly and climbed onto the bed on the other side. He moved towards her, until her hand came up between them and touched his chest, forcing him to keep a few good inches between them. When he seemed to get the point, she pulled her arm back to wrap around her pillow and Keiro laid back where he was, feeling the exhaustion of his ride catch up with him.

"If you need anything," Keiro told her softly. Attia said nothing in response, but he knew she'd heard him anyway. In the quiet, it wasn't hard for Keiro to fall asleep. Not only was he tired from the ride from Court, he'd also relaxed from just being in the same room as her. He didn't even know how much tension he'd been carrying in his shoulders until it all went away finally.

When he did wake again, Attia was laying awkwardly against his arm, her fingers tentatively wrapped around his wrist as though she wanted to hold his hand but not give into wanting him at the same time. He turned his gaze up to her eyes to see she was asleep, so he slowly pulled his arm out from between them. As he moved towards her slowly, he put his arm around her shoulders and lifted her head with his other hand to rest it against his chest. She stirred softly and he stilled beneath her until she relaxed once more. When he was comfortable again with her against him more effectively than before, he let himself fall back asleep.

She was gone when he woke up again. The curtains were pulled but there was no sunlight straining against the backside of the fabrics over the windows. He ran his hand through his hair as he sat up, noticing he'd lost his shirt somewhere and was wearing just his undershirt. The button up shirt was folded on the end of the bed where his shoes were lined up rather than still on his feet. He glanced around the room again to see several other things had been put in place or moved completely. He guessed Attia had woken up and untangled herself from him to start picking up as a way to keep her hands busy.

As he sat up on the edge of the bed, he gathered himself before he started towards the door. He picked up his shirt along the way and had each of his arms in the sleeves before he stepped into the hallway. He began to button it up as he went down the hallway and down the stairs. In the dining room, he could hear the clatter of plates and utensils, so he went that way. Zoe and her husband were at the table while Claire set plates around the table to make five table settings. The three looked up at Keiro but said nothing as he continued towards the table. Claire looked up at him and smiled before she continued setting the table, then pouring water and wine.

"Are you sure you're ok, Mom?" Zoe asked as she reached over to touch Claire's hand. Claire smiled at her daughter and nodded. After finishing up pouring her water, she moved to sit, leaving the seat Ronan had always sat at empty. No one bothered pointing out how having the empty seat seemed impractical. Within a few minutes, Attia came into the room having changed out of the clothes she'd been wearing when Keiro arrived. She paused in the doorway and stared first at Zoe and her husband, then at Keiro. Her eyes lingered on Keiro for longer than her step sister, and Keiro almost thought she had expected him to be gone already. Eventually, she walked into the room and sat beside Keiro at the only empty place setting, but she pushed her glass of water away to pour wine into another. When a timer went off in the kitchen, Claire stood up and Zoe followed her into the kitchen.

"You're going to get a headache if you keep drinking like that," Keiro said to Attia, aware that their relationship wasn't exactly in the best place for him to be making such comments. At the same time, she looked as though she'd not eaten all day and was already halfway through the glass of wine. She set the glass on the table and turned her head towards Keiro, one eyebrow higher than the other.

"Maybe if I drink enough I won't feel it," she replied bitterly before she finished the glass before Claire and Zoe even returned with their dinner. Attia started to reach for the bottle, but Keiro lifted her discarded water glass and handed it to her. Again, she turned to stare at him and he met her gaze.

"At least drink water too," he told her as he set the glass in front of her plate. She shut her eyes and turned her head away, obviously not in the mood to argue with him. She picked up her water glass and finished it before she set it on the table and turned her head towards Keiro again. Her hand reached out for the wine bottle and grabbed the neck as she stared mockingly at Keiro. He said nothing to her, and wouldn't even meet her gaze as she poured another glass. By then, Zoe and Claire had returned to the dining room with plates of food and set them down in the center of the table. Everyone served themselves and the dinner went by with minimal conversation between Claire, Zoe, and her husband. Attia and Keiro spoke only when spoken to, and never to each other.

As soon as Attia finished eating, though she didn't eat very much, she stood up and reached across the table for the bottle. Keiro's hand caught her wrist before she could grab the neck of the bottle and her eyes shot to him. "Let me go," she told him strongly. She held his gaze for a few moments before he recognized a losing battle and released her wrist. She grabbed the half empty bottle and started towards the door without even bothering taking a glass with her. "You can stay in our old room," she declared when she reached the door.

"And you?" Keiro asked, well aware he didn't want to hear the answer.

"I have my room," she said simply before she continued around the corner. Keiro shut his eyes as she groaned and ran his hand through his hair again.

"Don't worry," Claire said, pulling Keiro's attention to her. "She'll come around."

"Everyone keeps saying that," Keiro answered as he stood up and picked up his nearly empty glass of wine. He turned and left the dining room with his glass, opting not to pretend to socialize with Zoe and her husband since Ronan wasn't around to force him. He went down the hall, passing Kyra, Chris, and Finn's rooms before he reached his and Attia's. As he stepped into the room, he peered around, seeing that Attia actually had more things in their room at Primstone than she'd left at Court. He ignored it all as he crossed the room to go to the closet. He stripped off his clothes and started to pull on clean more comfortable clothing before his finished off his glass of wine and set the glass on the top of a dresser.

He had half a mind to go searching for her again, but he attributed the suicide mission to his half drunken state. The only good thing about being in Primstone was that the haunting thoughts of Morgan seemed to completely disappear and be replaced by haunting thoughts of Attia. It was a lesser of two evils, and he'd accept it any day. He walked around the bed to the other side to get in on his side, even if Attia wasn't there to claim her side. Since he'd just woken up, he wasn't actually that tired but hoped he could trick himself into sleeping through the night at the very least. He'd come to Primstone to be with Attia, to help her, but she didn't want him, and he'd have to settle for just being in the same building as her.

Unfortunately, he could not trick himself into sleeping, so he laid there staring sometimes at the ceiling, sometimes at the wall, and sometimes at the door. He thought of the pathway he'd take out to the front and up the stairs then down the hallway to find the guestroom Attia had called her own. He thought of the way he felt to have her against him, even if for just a few brief conscious moments, and he hoped she hadn't pulled away immediately when she woke to find herself entangled with him as though nothing had ever torn them apart. He'd almost drove himself completely insane when he was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of the door opening. He sat up quickly, his eyes shooting to the door, but his entire body relaxed again when Attia appeared in the doorway.

She'd cried again after dinner, but Keiro didn't think it had been recent since her eyes were just puffy rather than red to match. She stared at him across the room for a moment, but she didn't wait for him to say anything to step in further and shut the door behind her. She crossed the room and climbed onto the bed then moved towards the center, making it difficult for Keiro to keep his distance. When she reached behind her, she found his wrist and pulled his arm around her before she interlaced their fingers. Keiro quickly moved closer to her and pressed his chest against her back, feeling her entire body relaxing against his. Feeling particularly daring, Keiro leaned over to press and kiss to the corner of her lips, but she turned her head away and forced the kiss to land on her cheek instead. He tried to ignore the surge of pain through him as he tightened his grip around her waist and reminded himself that she'd come for him this time, not the other way around.


	18. Chapter 18

In the morning, she was still there, so he smiled as he remained exactly where he was so as not to wake her and inspire her to leave his embrace. He'd swore that if she would just stay with him, not necessarily affectionately, he would be fine, yet now that he knew where the boundary was—holding but no kissing—he felt nearly as devastated as before. He wanted her back entirely, not just partially. He wanted her to want him the way he wanted her, but he knew there was no way to make Attia do anything she didn't want to and certainly didn't want to find out if that had changed when her father had passed so recently. Since she couldn't reject him in her sleep, he pressed a soft kiss to the back of her neck just to remind himself of how her skin felt under his lips.

"Don't," she told him suddenly and Keiro stilled entirely. It took him another few moments to force his muscles to relax, first his arms, then his shoulders and eventually his back.

"Fine," he said eventually, his voice cold and detached as though her single command hadn't pushed him closer to his breaking point. She lingered there in his arms for a few more moments then rolled out to the far side of the bed and sat up on the edge.

"Why did you come?" she finally asked, though she kept her eyes on the wall in front of her.

"You already know that," Keiro answered as he sat up and leaned back against the headboard. "I gave Finn the note, but I don't know if he told anyone else. He won't tell the kids though."

"I didn't ask about that."

"No, you don't say anything unless it's to snap at me about something stupid," Keiro replied sharply, having had enough of her silence. She'd never been silent before. She'd always been very frank with how she felt and he knew how to handle that. Silence was what he didn't know what to do with.

"You know how I feel."

"That's not what I said," Keiro replied and Attia looked over her shoulder at him. Her eyes were clear and no longer red or puffy. Her skin wasn't as tightly pulled over her face as it had been the night before, and it was suddenly clear to Keiro that last night must've been the first night she'd managed to really sleep at all.

"Fine, what do you want, Keiro?" she said as she turned her body completely so that one leg was bent on the mattress while the other dangled off of the edge. "You want to know how… how disturbing it is to see Morgan and that kid that looks just fucking like you! You bitch at me for years and years and years that Finn and Kyra are just like me, so now you got your wish, didn't you?"

"Are you kidding me?" Keiro replied as he stared at her in shock. "Chris is more like me than Morgan's little brat. That kid won't even look me in the eye. He whispers to that county boy like they're school children with some half-baked plot to get out of class early."

"Jealous?"

"Oh, would you come off of it," he said harshly as he held her gaze. Her entire body was tense as she stared at him, debating whether or not to stay and keep fighting with him or retreat into the closet and pull back up her guard.

"Why did you come here?" she finally repeated and Keiro rolled his eyes as he let his head drop back against the headboard.

"To see if you were ok," he repeated his answer from the night before and Attia stood up from the bed to start towards the closet. All the things she'd brought from Court were in the guestroom she'd been staying in, but she still had clothes that stayed in Primstone and were hanging in that closet. "I don't know what you want from me," he finally admitted as he watched her pull her nightshirt over her head, her back towards him.

She wanted to tell him of her nagging fear that Morgan might be better suited for him, but her pride seemed to get in the way. Instead, she just remained quiet as she finished dressing.

"It's not my choice, you know," Keiro told her. "It's not like I went to Finn and begged him to make Lucas next to inherit it all. If I could choose Finn, I would. You know that. At least you used to."

"What does that mean?" she snapped a she whipped around and let the shoe in her hand fly out of her grasp. It flew across the room and struck Keiro's shoulder but it was a light shoe that hardly had weight to it at all.

"It means I don't know anymore," Keiro told her as he moved to sit on her side of the bed so they were facing. "That you used to bitch at me for every little thing that bothered you, and now I can't get you to say two words if my life depended on it. You hate Morgan, I got that much, but you won't tell me why. You say it's because she's a whore, but according to you every woman I've ever been with is one except for you, so I don't exactly get what makes Morgan so different from all the others."

Silence fell around them again as Attia stared at Keiro. She hadn't completely finished dressing, so there were a few undone buttons and her collar was folded in on one side.

"If it had been any other woman to show up at Court with some kid, you wouldn't have even cared," he said. "You'd have been irritated, and probably insulted her once or twice, and pick a little fight with me, but not like this," he said as he stared at you. "You wouldn't have left me it it'd been anyone else." It was the first time he'd admitted out loud that she'd left him, and the words came out of him like someone had reached down his throat and forced them out. "You left me," he repeated, feeling the words lift some kind of weight off of him even if they made the pain in his chest intensify. She shut her eyes and recoiled away at the words, her entire body suddenly rigid as though she couldn't bear to hear the words anymore than he could to say them.

Eventually, she sucked in a breath that sounded more desperate than she wanted to appear. Without saying anything further, she turned and left the room, the door shutting behind her creating the only sound in the room. The next two days continued in relatively the same manner. Attia pretended to not need him as she went to bed in the guestroom, then crawled into his arms in the middle of the night but refused him any more affection than her fingers interlaced with his. He no longer picked an argument in hopes that she would tell him something he wanted to hear since she'd gotten rather talented at keeping all that under wraps.

Finn sent word to them that he'd spoken to Kyra, Chris, and little Finn and began the funeral arrangements, which included the family coming to Primstone to get the body to take back to Court for burial. Keiro sat with Attia in the front room as they waited for the progression, which was due at any moment. Her fingers gripped his hand so tightly that her knuckles were white and straining against her skin, but Keiro made no attempt to loosen her grip on him. It was the first time she'd touched him outside of the bedroom at three in the morning, and he had no intentions of ending that contact.

As the sounds of the carriages and horse drew near, Claire appeared at the top of the stairs, Zoe holding her hand. A knock came at the door before Mason opened it from the outside and Vivian slipped passed him. She ran up the stairs to reach her mother and offer a hug. Attia stood up slowly and turned to meet Mason's gaze. He crossed the room towards her slowly, his soft smile not nearly as reassuring as he meant for it to be.

"I'm sorry," he told her gently before he glanced up at Keiro, then stepped away from her just as Kyra led Chris and Finn into the house. Kyra had fresh tears down her face and Attia was quick to wipe them away before she pulled her daughter into her arms. Finn and Chris only stood by, each accepting hugs from Attia as Kyra moved on to Keiro. Anne and Claudia came into the house as well, but only Anne stepped towards Attia to offer her condolences even if Claudia had said to let Attia be. King Finn came in eventually, carrying a stack of papers that he quickly handed off to someone else to keep hold of.

"Are you doing ok?" he asked her, though he didn't expect her to really tell him all her feelings.

"Yeah," she answered with a nod. Of course, with the arrival of her children, the full weight of her father's death seemed to hit her and it felt more real than it ever had before. "Is that all the paper work?" she asked as she looked over to the man Finn had handed it off to.

"Yeah, but if you're not-"

"It's fine, Finn," Attia told him as she motioned for the man to come over. She took the pages from him and sat back down on the couch. Keiro moved away so Kyra could sit beside her mother while King Finn sat on the other side of her.

"We didn't actually find him, though," Finn said carefully as Attia thumbed through the stack of pages. "The hospital said that there wasn't anyone admitted that night with his name."

"Yeah, I changed it when he died," Attia answered and Finn rolled his eyes. "So they wouldn't tell you that night."

"Of course you did," Finn said. "You don't happen to remember the name you changed it to, do you?"

"Rowan, with your last name. I thought you'd have figured it out," she answered simply as she looked up at him.

"Give me too much credit?" he asked as she started to sign pages. She laughed at the comment, which was more than Keiro had been able to get out of it in the few days he'd been there compared to the few minutes Finn had. She finished signing all the pages of the stack and handed them back to the man Finn had given them to originally, and he carried them out of the house, leaving the royal family alone. At some point, Claire and her daughters had come back down the stairs and sat on the other couch across from Attia's.

"Where will you burry him?" Claire asked and Attia looked up at her slowly.

"In the royal mausoleum at Court," Finn answered when it seemed Attia wouldn't.

"Doesn't he need to be… royal?" Vivian asked as she looked between Attia and Finn. He shrugged as he held Vivian's gaze.

"Is that how that works?" he asked. Nobody connected to him or those he considered family had died during his reign. "Council didn't seem to care, so that's where I had them prepare for the burial. I also had rooms made up for you, if you wanted to come," he added as he turned to Zoe. She wasn't around Finn as often as her sister and she averted her eyes from the King as most others did as she mumbled an uncertain answer.

Later that night, the dining table was filled with more place settings than Claire was accustomed to seeing, but she steadfastly refused to let any of the servers set the spot in front of the chair Ronan had always occupied. At some point in the middle of dinner, Attia had stood up abruptly, pulling several pairs of eyes to her, Keiro's included. Only he noticed the look in her eye though, the one that meant something had set her off. Something reminded her of her father most likely, and she started towards the door that led into the kitchen. Keiro followed her, neither willing to offer any explanation as they left the dinner table.

"Attia," he called as he tried to grab her wrist and pull her to him. They were in the kitchen, where Finn's Court chefs had finished up preparing dessert and were off somewhere else. Only servers were present and they had retreated to the far side of the kitchen to provide a false sense of privacy.

"Would you stop it!" she yelled at him as she pulled her arms to her body even though Keiro hadn't yet taken hold of them.

"Stop what?" he replied sharply. Given the volume of their voices, he knew their words were traveling into the dining room, but it was hard for him not to match Attia's volume.

"Everything!" she told him.

"That narrows it down, doesn't it?" he said sarcastically as she tossed a plastic cup at him only because it was sitting on the counter right next to her.

"You're always right there, Keiro," she accused.

"Yeah, I came here to be with you and all you do is push me away," he defended himself. "And then when you're done you crawl into bed with me like you still care and the next morning you're back to pretending you don't and I'm a little tired of those games. I'd have married Morgan if I wanted that."

He went still the second he saw the pain fill her eyes. She tried to fight back the stinging tears in her eyes, but that as much of a losing battle as all the other's she had with her feelings for Keiro. "Then go back to Court," she told him sharply as she found something else to throw at him. The wine glass shattered as he struck the counter beside him. He'd dodged it just in time, but had moved into the trajectory of a wooden spoon she'd hurled at him. He knew she was tearing up because her aim was a little off when it usually spot on.

"I don't want her," Keiro told her when she'd seemingly run out of things to throw. "Is that what you've got stuck in your head? I can't read minds, Attia, and even if I could, I still wouldn't know what you're thinking because you're so damn unpredictable!"

"I didn't even want you to come here," she told him, her voice lacking an edge since her words had fallen off with a sob. Some of her tears had escaped her eyes and started to roll down her cheeks, but she made no attempt to wipe them.

"Really? You don't usually throw things at people you want to see?" Keiro asked, earning another glass thrown at it. That one shattered on the counter, the crystal pieces scattering across the counter and down to the tiled floor. "You can keep yelling at me all you want, but we both know you'd have been even more pissed at me if I hadn't come!"

"That's not true!"

"Isn't it?" he questioned, his voice hard, but his face and eyes soft. "I came for you, Attia. Because I want you even though everything went to hell because of Morgan."

"That's a fucking lie, Keiro. This wasn't exactly great before she showed up. She does have impeccable timing, that whore of yours."

"Fine," he snapped. "It wasn't perfect, but you weren't exactly trying to kill me with wine glasses either."

"You're infuriating," she told him as she hurled metal measuring cup at him. It hit the counter, but with an odd bounce managed to hit one of the tiles on the wall and crack it.

"Stop destroying the kitchen! We just have to pay to fix it all again!"

"It's my kitchen and I'll do what I please with it!"

"And I'm infuriating?" he questioned.

"Yes! You're a little shit who slept with every moving thing you found. You even brought Morgan here before! You brought that bitch to my house and flaunted her around like some god damn trophy. Did she get pregnant here, Keiro? In that room I'm going to torch tonight?"

"I wish you would just tell me what it is that makes you so mad about her," Keiro said, ignoring her taunts entirely. "You said yourself I slept with every moving thing I found. What about all the others, Attia? You have no problem with any of them! Most of them are still at Court."

"How would you even know? You don't even remember most of them," she accused.

"I just assume that I slept with all the same women Casper did, alright? What's your method of remembering them?"

"How low their neckline is," she snapped back and Keiro actually let out a dry laugh at the comment. "Or how self loathing they are."

"Is that what Morgan was?"

She huffed as she turned away from him and left the kitchen through the side exit the servers used, leaving him behind with all the shards of glass and tossed around utensils. He eventually sighed and went back into the dining room, but ignored all the people as he went to a server and pried the wine bottle out of his hand. "Give it to me," he said finally and the man relinquished the bottle. As Keiro left the room through the main door, he lifted the bottle to his lips and tilted his head back to let the wine slide down his throat.


	19. Chapter 19

She still came to their room that night. Even though she could smell the wine on Keiro's passed out form, she rolled him to his side and snuggled under his arm before she laced their fingers together. She didn't want to admit it, but Keiro had been right about a few things at least. He was right about what was bothering her, even if he hadn't figured that out yet. And he was right that she'd have been even madder if he hadn't come. Part of her wanted to talk to him, really talk to him about everything, but some other part of her would not allow that to happen. He was too argumentative for them to easily have a real conversation, and that wasn't exactly his fault. They'd built their entire relationship on arguing and fighting but that meant they didn't know how to resolve real arguments.

Eventually, she needed more than just the weight of his arm around her waist so she turned around to face him. He was still fast asleep, his face gentler in his sleep, so he hardly stirred when she pushed him to his back. She wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she rested her head against his chest, wishing he'd been awake enough to hold her there himself. For years, he'd been her only source of real comfort, so now that he was the reason she was so upset, she didn't know what to do with herself. She needed him to comfort her, but the sight of him made all the problems between them come back to life again. Even if she didn't show it, and even if he couldn't tell, she didn't want things to be over between them any more than he did. Deciding that if this was their only time of peace she would make the best of it, and so she wrapped her other arm around him and pressed herself against him entirely. The familiarity of his body was what helped her find sleep.

The next morning, she woke before him, but decided to linger there against him. Eventually, she looked over to check the time, realizing that he needed to awaken from his alcohol induced sleep if they were to go back to Court. "Keiro," she called as she started to shake him. She knew one surefire way of awakening him, but she couldn't bring herself to kiss him again just yet. She shook him harder, thankful that the motion was enough to jolt his eyes open. He stared down at her for a few moments before he let his head fall back down to the pillow as though the weight of his head was too much for his neck to bear. "Did you finish that bottle last night?" she asked him, referring to the wine bottle on the dresser.

"Yeah," he groaned as he lifted his arm not around her to rub his eyes then his temple. He didn't see the little smile that crossed her lips as she watched him, taking in the sight of the familiar man she knew.

"I'll get you something for the headache," she promised. "We have to get up to go back to Court."

"I don't remember you coming in," he admitted.

"You were passed out," she answered as she sat up, releasing his arm for him to use to rub his other temple. "You have to get dressed, Keiro. You can sleep in the carriage on the way back."

"I feel like shit," he said as he forced himself to sit up, but the motion made his head spin. Attia steadied him with an arm around his shoulders while her other hung down across his chest. She'd moved to sit right behind him, her chest against his back. She'd even dared to press a kiss to his cheek, and as a result, she could feel the muscles in his shoulders and back relax nearly entirely against her. "Why are you so…"

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "Just feel better about everything, I guess."

"Completely better?" he asked as he tried to look at her, but his head spun again.

"No, but nice try. Just better enough to talk to you."

"I guess I can take that," he said and she rolled her eyes as she released him and moved to climb off the bed. She tossed a set of clean clothes for him to the bed before she dressed quickly and left the room. It took him longer than anticipated to dress so when Attia returned, he'd barely managed to get his pants on and his arms through the sleeves of his shirt but his chest was exposed through all the undone buttons. She handed him two pills and a small glass of water before she started buttoning his shirt from the bottom.

"No, undershirt?"

"I already had this one on by the time I realized." She laughed at his admission, but said nothing as she finished buttoning the shirt and looked up to meet his gaze. He lifted his hand to her cheek, the back of his fingers grazing her cheek softly, a smile pulling on his lips. They hadn't been close at all in any way except for the nights, and Attia could tell he was relishing in it as much as he could even if his head was throbbing and he felt like crawling back into bed for two more days. His fingers moved down her cheek eventually to touch her lips softly, his eyes asking for permission when he couldn't force the words out.

She swallowed as she debated it, and he waited for her to come to a conclusion, desperately hoping for one decision over the other. Finally, she licked her lips and took a half step towards him before she steadied her hands on his shoulders and pushed herself up to her toes. Her head tilted back as he leaned down to press their lips together. He'd wanted to kiss her slowly, but all his pent up needs came out and his lips moved faster than he meant for them to. She pulled away quickly and shook her head as she turned away from him and gathered herself.

"It's alright," he said as he reached out to touch the small of her back. She could hear the disappointment in his voice, but she didn't turn to see if it was reflected in his eyes as well. She'd wanted to be able to kiss him like before, but the sensation overwhelmed her with feelings of inadequacy, even if they were unfounded. It took her a few more moments to turn back to him, but he'd straightened out his face by then so she wasn't forced to see him disappointed in her. He offered her his hand, and she took it before they left the room.

Throughout their ride to Court, they held hands, but didn't speak, neither wanting to end the sudden peace between them. They still had unresolved issues, but for the moment, they were content. When they arrived at Court, Keiro half expected Attia to request her things be taken to another room, but she pointed them to their room in the High Duke household, a gesture that made Keiro smile at her. She didn't even pretend to stay in another room that night or the night after. She let herself lay against him entirely, and never pushed his arms away whenever he held her tighter. Since their kiss in Primstone, he'd not even tried to kiss her cheek out of sheer fear of rejection.

Her attitude towards him changed, however, on the morning of the funeral. She was cold and distant, but he didn't let it bother him. She deserved to be those things the day she buried her father, he was sure. Dressed in one of her black dresses, she checked herself in the mirror. She wore no makeup, and she'd only run a comb through her hair enough to untangle it. She'd even gone without shoes even though her dress went to her knees and she would plainly be barefoot in a crowd of people civilized enough to put shoes on. Keiro didn't comment on it, and offered her his hand after he'd pulled on his jacket.

She turned away without taking his hand as though she hadn't seen it, but he was too aware to fall for that. Nonetheless, he followed her down the hallway and towards the back side of Court where the walkway was that led to the cemetery. Already there was a small gathering of people—Finn, Claudia, Anne, Casper, and Claire—but Kyra, Chris, and Finn were right behind Attia and Keiro. When Vivian and Mason came a few minutes later, the service began, but Attia's mind wandered as the man rambled on about inconsequential things.

He talked about Ronan's life, and his words made it sound like Ronan had some kind of fantastical life fitting for a fairytale. He didn't mention all the gory details of Incarceron, or his dead first wife, his dead daughter, or his abandonment tendencies. Those were the things that played through Attia's mind as she stared down at the closed casket. Her heart started to race as she began to expect the Prison to open up and swallow it to take the body. Her hand went down to Keiro's but she touched his wrist first and her fingers clenched around it immediately. He looked down at her as he slowly worked his hand up until her fingers were around his. His other hand reached across his body to touch her shoulder, able to discern how tense she was.

Keiro peered up at Finn, who stood on the other side of Attia, and the two exchanged glances before Finn looked down at Attia as well. He let go of Claudia's hand to touch the small of Attia's back, as though he could feel every one of her paranoid fears. Of course, it wasn't that difficult for Finn and Keiro to put together what she was waiting for. As the service came to an end, flowers were placed on top of the casket, but Keiro and Finn led Attia away from the sight, a man on each side of her, her arms held by each of them. She eventually turned to Keiro completely, her arms wrapping around his neck tightly. He put his arms around her as well as he held her against him. Finn's hands stayed on her shoulders as he said comforting things in her ear as though she could hear them over the false sounds of the Prison echoing in her mind.

"It's just in your head," Keiro told her as he looked down and forced her gaze up.

"You don't hear it?" she asked him.

"No, love," he answered as he shook his head. She turned her head to meet Finn's gaze, and he shook his head as well. Neither looked at her as though she were insane and crazy. Neither had a condescending gaze or tone of voice. They just answered her questions and stayed by her as she worked through the sound of machinery in her ears.

"What if it opens up for us, too?"

"Shh," Keiro cooed in her ear as he smoothed her hair. They were near the wall of the mausoleum so he slowly sat down and let Attia curl up in his lap, her legs on each side of him. Finn sat down next to them, his hand on Attia's shoulder, neither man very concerned with the grass staining their expensive trousers. "We're not Inside, Attia. Nothing is going to happen to us."

She let out a sob as she nodded and pressed her face into Keiro's neck. He continued to hold her as Finn stroked her shoulder gently. Keiro and Finn saw Kyra and Finn watching them, but Claudia came to pull them back, aware that though Attia loved her children more than anything only Finn and Keiro could coax her back.

"It's going to be ok," Keiro promised as he continued to hold her. "You're going to be ok. We're going to be alright."

"Don't go."

"We're not going anywhere, Attia," Finn said and she nodded again against Keiro's neck. Eventually, the two men could make out the sounds of her desperate sobs and she was no longer able to conceal her crying from Finn. Keiro had already known she'd been crying the entire time based on the moisture of his neck and shoulder.

"Feels like he left me again," she admitted.

"No, love," Keiro answered as he turned towards her slightly. He was aware how close his lips had gotten to touching her, but he refrained, even in her current state. "He didn't leave you again. It's different. He didn't want to leave you again. He wanted to stay for you."

When Attia went still some hour later, Keiro looked over and Finn and nodded once. Finn nodded back and stood up before Keiro slowly pulled himself up slowly, Attia cradled in his arms. They walked back together, realizing only Kyra, Chris, and Finn had stayed behind at the burial site as they waited for their mother. They followed behind Keiro and Finn, but eventually stayed behind as Keiro carried Attia into their bedroom and Finn shut the door behind her. The three young adults followed him back down the hallway and when they were out of High Duke household, King Finn turned back to the three.

"What did she mean?" little Finn asked first. King Finn drew in a breath as he looked at the three. There was no one else for him to defer them to, because nobody at Court had ever been Inside during that time. The only other two were holed up in their room, one of them coaxing the other back to reality.

"How much have they told you about Incarceron?" Finn asked.

"How much have they said, or much do we know?" Kyra clarified, and Finn smiled down at her as he nodded. He didn't want to know how much they knew, because that in part meant how much his own children—John and Charlotte—knew. He, Keiro, and Attia had always been quiet on the subject as much as they could, but their children were more than capable of finding other sources of information.

"When people died Inside, the Prison opened up and swallowed them," Finn told them explicitly. There was no point in sugar coating it for them when they were adults. "She's just… she's just handling it, alright?"

"That's handling it?" little Finn questioned. "Looks more like losing it."

"She's your mother," Finn told him sharply. "And you may not be very happy with your parents' relationship either, but they're not perfect, no matter how much you want them to be. She'll be fine tomorrow, most likely, and I wouldn't worry too much about them splitting up again either."

"You're sure?" Kyra asked, sounding more worried than Finn had thought her to be.

"I'm sure," he said as he met he gaze. "She needs him just as much as he needs her. It may be a little co-dependent and maybe a little unhealthy, but that works for them and they both realize it now at least. You can't blame them if their incapable of having a regular relationship. Doesn't mean they don't love each other or that they don't love you. They just… are different."

"Why?" little Finn questioned, though part of him already knew the vague answer he would get.

"Because life was shitty Inside and it's permanently scarring," Finn answered, giving a little bit more answer than was expected. Before they could ask anything else, though, he turned and walked away.

* * *

**As always, let me know what you think!**


	20. Chapter 20

The next morning, Finn reported to Princess Avery's room when it was time for his day shift as her personal guard began. He didn't want the extra time to sit and think with nothing else to distract him, so he insisted on not letting Mason assign another Knight to the Princess. As he approached the door, he found it open, though her night guard was posted just outside the door. He nodded and acknowledged Finn before leaving his post for his time off. Finn peered into the room and found Avery seated at the table in her room with two of her mother's ladies seated across from her as the three women enjoyed their breakfast and tea. Avery met Finn's eyes and her face shifted slightly before she turned away from him and struggled to regain her composure. Finn stepped back out of the room to stand outside the door was expected of him.

At the end of their meal, Avery dismissed the ladies and waited for the servers to clear the table and leave the room before she called Finn in. He stepped into the room and watched as Avery approached him then passed by him to close the door. He didn't turn to watch her, but he felt her come back towards him so when her fingers touched his arm, he wasn't surprised. He turned his head just enough to look down at her. Her head was tilted back as she met his gaze, her eyes wide with worry and concern, her brow somewhat tilted in.

"I'm fine," he told her before she could say anything.

"Were you close to him?" she asked. He hadn't doubted that she'd heard of the funeral one way or another.

"I guess," he answered, not really sure what constituted being close to someone. "Was there anything you wanted to do today?"

Avery remained quiet as she continued to walk around him until she was in front of him. He tried to keep his eyes on her, but the feeling of her fingers on his arm was eventually enough to pull his gaze back to see them. At that movement, she retrieved her fingers and Finn slowly turned back to her. They'd not kissed again since the first time some week ago, and Finn had exceeded his own expectations in terms of not entirely losing control of himself around her.

"I don't know," she finally answered as she drew in a deep breath. "Charlotte invited me to have lunch with her today."

"Alright," Finn nodded. "In the room?" he asked, referring to the seating area connected to Charlotte's room. Avery nodded back to him as she kept her lips pressed together. "And before that?"

"I didn't really think about it," she answered honestly. "I didn't expect you today. I thought you would… I thought you want to have some time."

"I wanted the distraction," he admitted, even though he hadn't even been that honest with Mason. He'd just spewed some fulfilling his duties nonsense at him until Mason agreed to let him work the day after his grandfather's funeral.

"Then what's a good distraction?" she asked.

"You," he told her simply, the word coming out of him faster than he could think to stop himself. When she smiled brightly at his answer, he couldn't even bring himself to regret the honesty. "We could just clear out of here and find somewhere to sit around all day, if you wanted," he said with a shrug. "I can show you a couple tricks for next time you play cards with Charlotte."

"Alright," she agreed with a laugh and a nod. He smiled at her before he nodded as well and turned to open the door for her. Finn decided to just take her to the seating area, rather than finding somewhere else. As they got there, he saw Charlotte's door was open but she was not in the room, probably out for breakfast with her mother or Anne. Chase's door was still shut, indicating he was still asleep, while John would've already left for his daily politics.

Finn retrieved their deck of playing cards before he sat beside Avery on the couch and began to teach her all the cheating tricks Charlotte and Chase had devised over the years. Avery picked it up rather quickly, so as the two played each other, she was easily beating him without even having to read his expressions.

"How did they come up with all of these?" she asked in a laugh as she played her winning hand and peered up at Finn. He laughed as he shrugged.

"We don't know," he told her truthfully. "There's probably a few more they've got under their sleeve and we have idea what they are. They're just terrible losers." Avery laughed as she held his gaze, her face eventually softening but her eyes lingering on his. Finn fought the urge to look away from her as the silence between them started to intensify.

"Do you-" Avery started then stopped herself as she turned away from him sharply. "Never mind."

"Tell me," he pressed as he moved closer to her on the couch after straightening out the deck of cards and placing it on the table. She turned back to him slowly and the look in her eye intensified.

"Do you think about… about that night when we… when you…"

"Yes," Finn answered and her eyes lit up as he lips pulled up into a smile. "All the time."

"Yeah?"

"Why would you doubt that?" he asked her, watching as he cheeks started to gather more and more color.

"Because you've not kissed me again since, and I thought that it was because you didn't… didn't like it." She was amazed at how much she was able to say around him, and yet at the same time it didn't surprise her. It's always been easy for her to open up to him from the beginning, and just because that particular topic was somewhat more difficult for her to speak about, the nature of their conversations hadn't changed.

Finn just stared at her, wondering how she could ever think he didn't enjoy kissing her. It'd taken every inch of his resolve not to do it again, knowing full well that she was there to attempt to marry John, a Prince in his own right. Finn was nothing but a Knight. He was supposed to be Commander in his future, but he was also supposed to be High Duke, and that didn't seem to be working out for him very well. In his mind, there was no way for him to ever really deserve her, so he wanted to save himself the trouble of wanting her. As she stared up at him, her eyes and face soft, her lips smiling and inviting, however, his resolve was crumbling.

He leaned into her again and connected their lips, his eyes shutting so he could focus entirely on the feel of her soft lips as they tentatively moved back against his. He'd meant it to be just a quick kiss, proof that he did indeed enjoy himself too much with her, but he felt her hand move across the couch to touch his fingers, urging him to continue the kiss. He moved closer to her, his hand on the couch turning so their fingers could intertwine as he reached out with his other hand to touch her cheek. His hand cupped her cheek for a few moments as their kiss deepened and he debated internally whether or not to slip his tongue out to touch her lips. Instead, he opted to slide his hand from her cheek to her neck, feeling her body move to adjust to the sensation. Even a moan had slipped from her throat, pushing Finn to move closer to her still. As tentative as she seemed, never willing to progress the kiss or make movements until he did them first, she did all the things that made him want to continue, made him want her more than he wanted to.

"We shouldn't be doing this," he finally said with all the strength his could force himself to use as he pulled away from her and withdrew his fingers that had been too close to intertwining in her hair. He wanted desperately to know how her curls would feel between his fingers. He imagined they were soft and smooth like silk and that his fingers would smell like flowers all day because of it. At the thought, he shut his eyes as turned away from her, not trusting himself to keep watching her but keep his distance at the same time.

"Alright," she said finally, thought she'd been unable to entirely hide her disappointment. The disappointment in her voice made his chest ache and he drew in a deep breath hoping that drive it away but it lingered there all the same. He didn't want to disappoint her. He wanted to make her smile, to hear her laugh, to kiss her again and not stop unless the world was falling apart. "You're right," she agreed when her voice had gotten a little stronger. He swallowed before turning to her again, but her eyes were filled with the disappointment she'd pushed out of her voice.

They tried to go back to playing cards, but Finn couldn't help himself from peering up at her and watching her for longer than necessary. Every time she felt his gaze, she looked up at him as well, her desire to kiss him again clear in her eyes. When Chase emerged from his bedroom, Avery and Finn finally had a reason not to go right back to kissing each other. In his sleepy haze, Chase hardly noticed the tension between the two, and he certainly wasn't looking for it when a girl dressed in wrinkled clothing probably from the night before came out of the room behind him.

"I didn't know you were here," Chase admitted as he glanced over at Finn and Avery before the blonde behind him slipped her arm around his. Her curls were flattened out and frizzy, her makeup smeared and messy. She looked over at Finn and Avery as well, then froze, her eyes wide and fearful as she stared at Avery.

"Your Majesty, I had-"

"It's alright," Avery said with a smile as she held the woman's gaze. She nodded to her before turning back to Finn and grinning at him as though he could read her thoughts. Before Chase could escort his date from the night before to the door, Victoria and Charlotte led Claudia and Anne into the room, the four of the pausing to stare at the scene in front of them.

Chase's woman had been mildly embarrassed with Avery in the room watching her stumble out of a man's room in yesterday's clothes, but she was mortified when Charlotte, Claudia, and Anne looked at her. "Mom," Chase said, his tone displaying how equally mortified he was at the prospect of his mother in the room with the woman he'd spent the night with.

"Casper," Anne said, using his real name in one of the rare moments she displayed her displeasure at his nightly activities. "Perhaps your friend has somewhere else to be this morning."

"Yes," Chase agreed as he nodded and averted his eyes away from her. Finn couldn't help his giggles and Chase sent him a look before he escorted the girl to the door, his embarrassment growing by the second. Finn finally let himself really laugh as soon as Chase shut the door behind the girl and Chase turned to chuck a pillow at Finn's head, but it glanced off of his knee and fell to the ground. "It's not funny!"

"It's pretty funny," Finn replied. "Too bad John and Chris missed it. It was great."

"Finn," Claudia said, trying to sound displeased as well, though it didn't translate very well in her tone. Finn did take the hint, however, and stopped tormenting Chase who was avoiding his mother's gaze as he went back into his room to put on proper clothing. Charlotte and Victoria had taken seats on the couch and armchair, Charlotte picking up the desk of cards to shuffle them.

"Princess Avery," Anne said, her usual sweet tone having returned. "I hope you're enjoying yourself."

"Yes, I am," Avery answered with a nod. "Finn was just teaching me how to cheat at cards."

"Finn!" Charlotte protested as though he'd shared all her secrets with the whole world. Finn only rolled his eyes and laughed as Avery smiled and met Charlotte's gaze then Anne's once more.

"Have you been able to spend any time with John?" Claudia asked curiously.

"Finn already told her about me," Victoria put in.

"Oh, come on! You don't have to tell the whole world," Finn criticized as he turned to Victoria. He then turned back to Claudia. "Don't tell Mason or Mom. Or Uncle Finn."

"Finn," Claudia said, that time her tone really carrying the disapproving tone.

"I don't want to hear it," Finn said simply. "She doesn't care anyway. She's fine. We were playing cards until you all interrupted us."

"Playing cards?" Charlotte repeated. "Is that what you're calling it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Finn replied stubbornly as he kept his gaze on Claudia. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Avery's cheeks beginning to turn red, but she did well to keep her gaze on the other side of the room. Claudia rose an eyebrow at Finn but did not comment on the statement.

"I do still hope you enjoy the rest of your time here, Princess Avery," Claudia said rather diplomatically before she motioned to Anne for the pair of them to leave the room. The door shut behind them and Finn tossed the pillow on the ground at Charlotte. She only laughed as she caught the pillow and looked over to Avery, who'd turned away as her cheeks retained their extra color.

"Are they gone?" Chase called out loudly from the other side of his closed door.

"No!" Finn and Victoria yelled at the same time when Avery and Charlotte had answered with the truth. Chase probably trusted Avery's answer above the other three only because she had no reason to lie to him, so he tentatively poked his head out of the room to survey the scene. When he was assured that his mother was gone from the room, he pushed open the door completely and walked out, now dressed in appropriate clothing for the day.

As Chase crossed the room to sit on the couch, Finn stood up and looked down at Avery before he tilted his head towards the door. She nodded as she stood up as well and smiled weakly to Victoria, then Charlotte, before she followed Finn to the door. Nobody said anything as Finn opened the door and Avery ducked under his arm, the pair of them gone from the room. They walked in silence to the back part of Court where Avery always enjoyed looking out the large windows at the view and where nobody was around except for them.

"I don't want to stop," Finn finally said suddenly and Avery turned back to him. Her cheeks were only a little red, but without an audience of his cousins, she was less embarrassed. "Kissing you, I mean."

"Ok," she replied. Though her response was short and vague, it seemed perfectly clear that she had no intentions of making him stop if he didn't want to.

"So we agree then?"

"On?"

"That this is just for right now," Finn replied as he narrowed his eyes at her. She smiled at him, and he had to fight off the feeling that she was somehow playing a trick on him. She looked too coy for his liking, but he knew she was far too sweet natured and kind to do something to him that his cousins would do.

"Until I leave for Mallery, after all these negotiations end?"

"Exactly."

"But we don't know how much longer they'll go on," she pointed out.

"That depends on your father," he told her. "As long he keeps insisting that you marry John, my uncle will humor him but never agree to anything."

"And when my father grows tired of agreements that lead nowhere?"

"Then you'll go back to Mallery unmarried," Finn answered.

"And this will be over."

"Exactly."

"Ok," she said, her smiling growing as she held his gaze.

"Ok."

"Alright."

"Good."


	21. Chapter 21

**Sorry it's taken so long for an update! But as usual, let me know what you think!**

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Nothing had change between Attia and Keiro over the last couple days. In some ways that was good. They weren't fighting anymore, nor where they inclined to throw things at each other or yell. In other ways, it wasn't exactly ideal either. Keiro wanted desperately to return to the same physical relationship they had before, but he couldn't handle the idea of rejection let alone Attia actually putting it into place. So at night, he held her, now assured that she wouldn't reject those advances and that he was free to hold her as much as he pleased. But he wouldn't even let himself think about the prospect of kissing her, let alone doing anything else to her. He was glad that she seemed to have no reservations in laying with him, however. She just laid against him every night, her arm wrapping around his body, her head rested against his chest.

"What's the matter?" she asked him suddenly. She stayed where she was for another second before she lifted her head and put her chin on his chest to meet his eyes. "You're tense. I can feel it." She pressed her fingers into his side, and he could feel his tight muscles protesting against the pressure, then relaxing under it.

"Finn said to just give you time and let you come to me. Claudia said that I should at least try to make advances so you know that I'm still here. Casper said to just have sex with you over and over and eventually you'll get over whatever's bothering you. Anne said to have a real conversation about everything and tell you how I feel about stuff and why I want to be with you."

Attia didn't know what to say at first. She wasn't sure if she should be mad that he went detailing their entire relationship to all their friends or feel glad that he cared enough to ask for advice from everyone. "Did you decide on a course of action?"

"Well, I like Anne the most by default, but I don't necessarily like her idea," Keiro answered and Attia laughed as she put her head back down on his chest. "But she's the happiest of us all, so I figure she has to know what makes people happy, right?"

"Maybe she's just born that way," Attia said and Keiro forced himself not to think that she wasn't taking the conversation seriously.

"I know that for some reason, Morgan makes you really, really, really mad, and you won't tell me why that is, so I don't know what to do to make you feel better about it," he admitted, the truthfulness in his words hanging in the air between them. He felt Attia draw in a deep breath and eventually pull away from him, but only to look up into his eyes. Since she said nothing, he continued on, unable to stand the tension between them even if he was the only one to feel it. "I want to be with you, but I feel like you don't believe me even though I went to Primstone for you to see you and make sure you were ok, and you just push me away. You hate Morgan more than all the other women, but you won't even admit that."

"Morgan was different," Attia finally said, but Keiro just narrowed his eyes at her. "You can't tell me that she wasn't, Keiro."

"How was she different?" he questioned, almost able to convince her that he didn't believe Morgan to be different. "She's different to you. You can't stand Morgan but you'll have conversations with the other women I've been with that are still at Court."

"She was different to you too," she said strongly as she tried to roll away from him, but he put his arm around her and forced their bodies together.

"Don't pull away from me," he told her softly, his lips in line with her ear, desperation clear in his voice. She still beneath his body, and he released her only after she nodded and put an arm around his neck. "Why was she different?"

Attia stared at him, her chest aching with thoughts of Morgan and Keiro, but she couldn't force herself to say it all out loud. Keiro lifted his hand to her cheek and she shut her eyes as she felt his fingers tracing her jaw line, her chin. He touched her lips with his fingers gently and she opened her eyes to see him looking down at her. He never let himself look at her the way he was, and she knew that. His eyes were wide and filled with pain and desire and fear, and he swallowed as he tried to pull his fingers from her lips, but she kissed them gently before he could retrieve them. Her eyes were shut, granting him a few seconds to debate whether or not to try and kiss her without worrying about what she might see in his face.

When he finally decided on what to do, he steeled his heart and convinced himself that when she rejected his kiss, it wasn't because she didn't love him. She was upset and hurt because of Morgan, even if she still wouldn't admit it, but he would still be the one she went to every night. When he touched her lips with his, he savored the moment, expecting it to end too quickly, but Attia kissed him back and tightened her arm around his neck. He kissed her more passionately, urged on by her response, but he still wanted an answer and eventually forced himself to pull away from her.

"When you won't kiss me, or when you wouldn't even let me lay with you, it was like you didn't want me anymore," he told her softly, careful to keep his head down in the crevice of her neck so as not to force himself to meet her gaze. He hoped that with his admission she would at least offer up a little bit of information. And if not, he knew he could at least know she'd not use any of his inner most troubles against him.

She stayed quiet after he finished, her fingers moving against the back of his neck so that her nails gently scratched his skin. After another moment, she turned her head to press a kiss against his cheek, prompting him to lift his head again and peer down at her. She maintained her silence as she met his gaze, shutting her eyes for only the few moments it took to raise her head off of the pillow and kiss him softly.

"I do still want you, even if I don't need you."

"Is that what this is about?" he questioned as he rolled to his side so he didn't have to continue supporting his weight. He was right beside her on his side while she remained on her back, her eyes staying on the ceiling rather than following him. "I can't believe you even remember me saying that."

"You remember," she pointed out, turning to him for a second before turning away again. He could feel her debating whether or not to continue the conversation, so he reached over and stroked her cheek with his finger to coax her into facing him once more. "That was why you left. I'm not the only one to leave, you know."

His eyes flashed for a second before he cleared them again, all while holding her gaze. He wanted to argue that his leaving hadn't been half as dramatic as hers, but he thought better of it and let her have that argument. He wasn't trying to fight with her again. He was trying to end all their fighting, and it seemed to him she was willing to give that a try as well.

"And I was only gone for a couple days," she added, knowing she pushed too far since he shut his eyes rather than roll them. He fought a smirk from appearing on his lips out of the sheer entertainment value she was to him. His efforts were useless compared to her kiss that instantly wiped away any grin or smirk in the making. She touched his brow with her fingers before she pushed a lock of silver hairs behind his ear. "I'd always thought you'd have been happier with Morgan than with me, and when she showed up with your kid-"

Attia stopped suddenly, her eyes snapping shut as she tried to roll away from Keiro, but he wouldn't let her. He trapped her right there beside him, his arm refusing to give her the space to get away from him. She struggled to get out of his arms for a minute, until she gave up. Of course, they both knew that if she really wanted to get out his arms, she very well could. He wasn't exactly sure how many knives she had hidden around the room anymore, but he was damn certain there was at least one she could still access even with him pinning her there near the center of the mattress.

"You don't need me," Keiro said when he was sure she was at least listening to him. She still hadn't faced him again, but she didn't need to for him to see the pain across her face. Her eyes were screwed shut, the rest of her face struggling to stay calm, her entire body tense. "But you want me, and that's enough for me." He leaned over to brush his lips against her temple. "That's more than needing me, I just didn't know that then."

Attia scoffed, obviously unwilling to believe him. She started to struggle again, and Keiro released his arm around her body, but she stopped suddenly. She didn't really want to get away, and he wasn't sure exactly what she wanted anymore if she was foolish enough to believe he'd ever want Morgan instead of her. After a minute, he put his arm around her again and she didn't fight him as he drew her back to him, their bodies pressing together once more. She wasn't crying, but he was sure she at least had some built up tears stinging her eyes based on how glossy her eyes were.

"I don't believe you."

"Obviously," he replied and Attia actually smiled before she shifted her eyes to him. He knew that she wanted him to explain, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to have to spill all the inner workings of his twisted version of love, and yet he didn't seem to have any other choice. If it worked and he and Attia went back to being the way they were before, then he'd eventually get over it. If it didn't, Anne had some serious making up to do the next day.

"I did everything I could to make Morgan and all the other girls sleep with me," he told her. "Said all these ridiculous things and pretended to care about all their petty problems. Fed them all these compliments on their stupid dresses and their done up hair. I didn't do that with you. You knew who I was from the very beginning, and-" Keiro stopped suddenly as he realized he'd never really told Attia why he was with her. Why he'd come back to her when he'd never gone back to any other girl before.

She thought he needed some encouragement to continue, so she she'd pressed their lips together for a brief kiss, that he returned even though he hadn't needed it. "You wanted me anyway when you knew how… what I…"

"How big of a shit you are?" she suggested and he smiled down at her as he nodded slowly.

"Something like that."

"You told Morgan you loved her before you said it to me," she replied sharply and Keiro's body stilled. He knew how that looked, even if he knew it wasn't the way it sounded.

"I never meant for you to hear that."

"Well, sorry, I'm not blissfully unaware," she snapped as she tried to push him away, but he held his ground.

"No," he protested as he bent down to kiss her, but she turned her head forcing his lips to land on her cheek. "I mean, yeah you weren't exactly supposed to hear that. But I was with you before I was with her. And I was in love with you before I'd ever met her. I don't know how you could think I would ever want her instead of you."

"She had your kid before me. You said you loved her before me. She needs you."

"I know how it looks," he assured her, able to tell from her tone of voice that she was starting to let go of her ridiculous ideas. "But that's not how it is. I can't help that she got pregnant first, and we never wanted kids to begin with."

"That's kind of pointless now, Keiro," she told him as she rolled her eyes.

"I know that," he said with a sigh as he rolled back to lay on his back and stare up at the ceiling. He excepted her to roll to her side of the bed and create space between them, but instead, she rolled towards him and put her head on his chest. He smiled as he put his arm around her and held her there, his fingers entangling in her hair. "You should marry me," he said suddenly and Attia sat straight up, her eyes casted down on him. They were wide open and solid as she stared at him in shock.

"What?" she asked finally. Keiro leaned over to reach into the drawer on his nightstand and retrieve a small black box. She judged from the movements of his arms that he'd opened the top of the box, but she slammed her hand down on top of it to shut it again without even looking down at the ring.

"If we got married, Finn would be legitimate," he told her as he handed the black box off to her without opening it again. "He would inherit my title instead of Lucas."

"I'm not going to fucking marry you," she snapped as she shoved the black box back into his hand. He rose an eyebrow at her, aware that her response wasn't entirely surprising to him, but how extreme it was certainly was cause for surprise.

"I figured that would make you feel better, knowing Finn would get my stuff instead of Morgan's kid," Keiro admitted as he tossed the box to the side of the bed. It actually landed on the top of his nightstand on its side.

"We never had to be married before," she said and he nodded. He knew that, but he wasn't sure where she was going with it. "You're asking me to change our relationship because of her."

"No," Keiro shook his head as he sat up and reached out for her, but she swatted his hand away. "That's not how I meant it, Attia."

"You just said the only reason is for the inheritance!"

"Well, if I'd thought for a second that you needed to be married to be happy, I'd have married you years ago, but you're not, so don't pretend to be upset if my motives aren't romantic," he responded and she rolled her eyes as she bit back a response. At his comment, however, she did seem to calm a little about the entire prospect.

"If you needed me to marry you to prove that I love you, or that I want you, or whatever, then I would," she told him, her entire body still stiff, her eyes still hard. "But I won't marry you because of Morgan. Or her kid, or anything that has to do with her, including the inheritance."

"I thought you wanted Finn to have a place to inherit when he's older," Keiro said as he reached over to put his hand on her knee. Since she didn't push away his hand, he left it there as he held her gaze.

"I already started moving money around to buy a new house to replace High Duke Hall," she admitted.

"Where'd you get the money?"

"I pulled it out of the rebuilding money for High Duke Hall," she said, trying to keep her face straight. She mostly failed as a smirk appeared across her lips.

"That's a little petty, you know. To stop rebuilding it because it won't be Finn's."

"What are you going to do about?" she questioned as she laid back down beside him and he wrapped his arm around her again. She felt his chest shake as he laughed and tightened his arm around her.

"Absolutely nothing."

They were quiet for a few moments before Keiro turned to look down at her again. She felt his moments, so she tilted her head to meet his gaze. "You won't fucking marry me?" he questioned and Attia broke into laughter as she turned and buried her face in his chest, her entire body shaking against his as she laughed harder and harder. "A simple 'no' would've done just fine, you know. I half expected you to say no, anyway, just not so dramatically."

She pulled up to look at him, her laughs dying down into giggles every few seconds. "It was a stupid question, anyway, Keiro."

"Stupid? You think proposing is stupid. I happen to know that it was a very serious decision that I spent a lot of time considering."

"Oh, bullshit," she said simply as she laid her had down on his chest and tightened her arm around him. "You probably didn't even pick out the ring."

"How do you even know it's a ring? You didn't even look," he accused. "Maybe I got you an engagement necklace."

"That's as stupid as the actual question."

"What made the question so stupid?" he demanded as he lifted his head to look at her. She rolled over to lay half on top of him, her hands on either side of his head as she hovered above his head.

"Because it's silly for a husband to ask his wife to marry him," she told him. Keiro stared at her bewildered for a moment before his lips pulled up into a genuine smile and he lifted his head to kiss her. She returned the kiss as she lowered herself down to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"That's how you think of me?" he asked as he rolled them over and moved his kisses to her neck, feeling more and more daring after their conversation. "Your husband?"

"Isn't that how you think of it?" she replied, a few moans breaking up her words whenever his lips passed particularly sensitive spot.

"I don't know. Never thought about giving it a name," he admitted. "It's kind of nice, though. Having a wife."

"This doesn't change anything."

"Good," Keiro said as he lifted up and looked down at her. "Cause I have something else to tell you."

"I'm not going to like it."

"Not very much, no," he agreed as he shook his head. "I got drunk and kissed Morgan."

Attia went still beneath him, and he wondered if his timing had been good or not. Slowly, he felt her chest rising and falling as she took deeper and slower breaths. Next he felt her nails scratching his neck again, then her shoulders relaxed. All the while, Attia reminded herself of all the things Keiro had just told her. The things about how she still wanted him when she knew who he was. About how that made him want her all the same even if she didn't fulfill all of his needs, like being needed.

"How drunk?" she finally asked and Keiro could stop the flash of smile from appearing across his lips.

"Drunk enough to kiss Morgan."

"And then?"

"I ran away as fast as I could," he answered and she actually laughed as she stared at him. "That was it."

"How was it?"

"She's too skinny, there's nothing to hold onto," he answered. "And her nails are too long. I think she actually broke the skin on my back. And her lip crap tasted gross, even after I had shots. Even dog shit tastes fine after drinking that gasoline."

"Ok," she said as she nodded and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Ok? Ok, that's ok?"

"Ok, I'm not mad about it right now, but I might use it against you in the future."

"That's ok," he said with a shrug as he bent down to kiss her, happier than words could describe when she kissed him back without hesitation.


	22. Chapter 22

The next morning, Keiro woke up to find Attia had already gotten out of bed. He lifted his head to see her pulling a blouse on over her bra, her back to him. Their clothes were strewn about the room, but Attia had left them all there except for his short that she'd put on the edge of the bed for him to easily reach. After slipping them on, he crossed the room and went into the closet to put his hands on her waist. She was startled for a second before she relaxed against him and let his arms slip all the way around her body as she turned to face him. Her arms snaked up to wrap around his neck before she accepted his morning kiss.

She'd expected a quick kiss, but Keiro held onto her and even started to back out of the closet, pulling her with him. She laughed into his mouth as he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her to his lap. After straddling him, her knees on each side of his hips, she deepened their kiss, feeling his fingers start to pull her blouse out of the top of her pants.

"Keiro, come on," she laughed again as she pulled away from him. "I'm already late."

"I don't care," he told her as he tried to kiss her again, but she stopped him with a finger on his lips. She climbed off of his lap and started to tuck her blouse in once more. He groaned as he laid back across the bed. She'd crossed the room to go into the bathroom while Keiro went back around to his side of the bed to pick up the rest of their clothing from the night before. "Hey Attia," he called and she turned over her shoulder to look at him.

She said nothing as she stared at him in the doorway of the bathroom holding the black ring box. The top was open, and the box was empty as he stared at her with raised eyebrows.

"Where's the ring?" he asked when she apparently would say nothing.

"I don't know," she told him as she turned back to the mirror. He looked down at her body for a moment to determine that she'd suddenly hid her left hand behind her body so he couldn't see it.

"You can't outright reject a proposal and then take the ring, you know. That's not how it works."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Keiro," she told him, completely unable to hold a steady face. When she saw Keiro appear in the mirror behind her, she quickly lifted her left hand to reach behind his neck as though she wanted to press their bodies together, but he had a feeling she was just hiding her hand from him. Humoring her, he bent down to press kisses to her neck, feeling her body start to relax against his as he slid one hand up her arm to her hand. She turned to face him completely, both her arms wrapping around his neck even though she knew he'd felt the metal band on her finger by then. He didn't care as he kissed her deeply, his hips pressing into hers.

By the time Attia finally got to her office, there was a line of people who needed her signature on one thing or another. She got through all the requests to access different vaults or apply for loans and was finally left alone before she was to attend another pretend Council meeting to negotiate a marriage agreement. A knock on her door made her groan at the prospect of more work to do before then, but when it was Chris who walked into the room, she smiled at him.

"What are you doing out here in finance?" she asked with a laugh as he sat down in the chair in front of her desk.

"I just haven't been able to see you since…" Chris started then trailed off.

"The funeral?" she asked and he nodded slowly. "I've been kind of holed up haven't I?"

"It's alright," Chris told her with a shrug. "We were just worried about you, you know."

"I'm alright," she said with a nod and he smiled at her. "What do you have?" she asked him as she motioned to the stack of papers in his hand. His smile brightened as he handed them to her. "Kyra gave them to you?" she assumed as she looked down at the signed house deed.

"I had no idea you did this for me," he admitted, his appreciation clear in his voice. She smiled brightly as she looked up at him after setting the papers to the side. "It's… you didn't have to do that, you know. I never needed anything from you."

"I know that," she said with a shrug. "I love you, Chris, even if you are married to Kyra. And we bought the land years ago, anyway. We'd always meant to build that house for you and give it to you. And nothing ever changed that."

"Kyra and I decided to go out there in about a month," he said and Attia nodded. "I'm kind of excited," he admitted. "I haven't been there in years, and to see the house and all the people."

"I remember you mentioning a couple of your friends before," Attia recalled, and Chris nodded. "I hope when we took you away from there, that we didn't… I don't know, make your life more difficult than it would've been."

"Don't," Chris said as he shook his head. "Don't say things like that. I'd have been fine if you left me there. Somebody would've taken me eventually, but I like this life. It's nice. We didn't even have indoor plumbing out there in the middle of nowhere," he laughed and Attia laughed with him as she nodded along. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course," she answered as she gave him an odd look. He'd never asked to tell her something before and it made her weary.

"I have this one memory of my parents. It's the clearest one I have of them, but it's not really anything significant. My father was sitting at the table in the kitchen carving a little figurine out of a block of wood. He used to make all these intricate things and line them up on my window seal and then at night they'd cast shadows on walls and ceilings. And my mother was in the kitchen doing something, I don't know what. And I came into the house, and I was upset because I'd fallen and skinned my knee or something. My mother came over and picked me up and set me on top of the counter and got out this spray thing and some bandages and medical tape to bandage the wound."

"Ok," Attia said, following along with the story.

"We didn't have indoor plumbing. There wasn't a chance in hell we had antibacterial spay and fancy bandages and tape," Chris told her. "It was you, I'm remembering. And the kitchen, it's from Primstone, but the table is from the house and my father is my father."

"You were kid, Chris. You probably just mixed things together at some point."

"I know," he said with a smile and nod. "But my point is that you're still my mom in a couple ways and that doesn't really change no matter what. And my mother is still my mother too, even if I can't really remember her anymore. And Lucas has a father, too."

"And it's not Keiro," Attia finished for Chris.

"No, it's not," Chris agreed as he shook his head. "Doesn't matter what that DNA test says."

"You're a sweetheart, you know that," Attia told him and he smiled brightly at her before he stood up and walked around the desk to hug her. "I love you."

"I love you too," he told her as he kissed her cheek. Chris started to walk out of the office, but turned back when Attia called him back.

"How did you separate Kyra from the rest of us?" she asked curiously. "Because you obviously don't see her as your sister, while your relationship with Finn hasn't changed at all since you were children."

Chris shrugged. "On some level, I'm not related to any of you. I just focus on that with her, and not with you or Keiro, or Finn. And Kyra never really was my sister anyway. Not like Finn was my brother. It just never clicked the way you thought it did. If you ask her, she'll say the same thing."

"I don't doubt it," Attia replied, and Chris nodded at her.

"It doesn't make as much sense as everyone wants it to," he admitted. "But that's how it is."

"Nothing wrong with that," Attia told him. "Besides, you're probably the only man Keiro wouldn't murder for so much as looking at Kyra." He smiled at her before he turned to leave the office. She put off going to the Council meeting as long as she could before she finally caved and started to make her way there. Deciding that even though she'd already left her office to go to the Council meeting, she wasn't really ready to go so she took the long way there. The empty corridors of the back portion of Court were nice in that they were still kept clean by the cleaning crew, but nobody was there during the day. There was nothing in the back of Court, and no reason to go there except to be alone.

Attia assumed being alone was definitely the reason Finn and Princess Avery were there, the later pressed up against the wall by the former, one set of their hands as intertwined as their lips, while each of their other hands explored the other's body. Part of Attia was shocked at Princess Avery. The young woman had struck Attia as the type to keep her eyes and head down casted at all times and to shy away from sexual advances. The other part of her wondered what the hell her son was thinking doing such things with a Princess. The occasional maid hand, she didn't really mind simply because Finn wasn't his father in terms of romance. Finn liked his girls, and that was what had Attia so worried as she just stared at the pair.

"I don't know if that's the best situation to be in right now," she finally said and Finn flew away from Avery so quickly, Attia almost thought the Princess was made of lava. Finn's face went red, as did Avery's, but Attia wasn't interested in berating them.

"Mom, I-" Finn started, but quickly snapped his mouth shut when he came to the conclusion that there was very little he could say to make matters better. Conversely, there was a great deal that could be said to make matters worse, so based on sheer probability statistics, he opted to remain quiet.

Attia rose her eyebrow at Finn then turned to look to Avery, who turned away from Attia and Finn, her cheeks turning an impossible shade of red. She wanted to tell them to stop whatever it was that was going on, but she decided to leave her son's love life in his own self-destructive hands. "You do realize that she's either going to marry your cousin or go back to Mallery, right?"

"She's not marring John," Finn replied simply.

"Then at least you know where this headed," Attia said, her eyes narrowing at Finn at his comment. Though, she honestly wasn't that surprised if Avery knew that John had no intentions of marrying her. It didn't seem to Attia that John had put that much effort into his act. Silently, Attia walked around them to continue down the hallway towards the Council meeting hall, her footsteps growing quieter and quieter as she got further and further away.

Finn lingered on the far side on the hallway as he looked over at Avery. She was still recovering from her embarrassment so her eyes were down casted, giving Finn time to study her face without her watching him do it. Her lips were red and swollen, her curls somewhat askew from his fingers running through them. Even her dress seemed to be a little crooked, though Finn hadn't even let himself dream of touching her dress or her body beneath it. With her leaving, he didn't want to go that far, even if they'd agreed nothing would come of their arrangement.

"Will she tell my father?" Avery finally asked, her voice laced with fear and worry as he eyes shot up to Finn immediately.

"No," Finn answered simply. Of course, Attia hadn't said she wouldn't directly, but he had blind faith in his mother that she wouldn't purposely do something like that to him. Avery didn't seem to believe his answer at first, but then after recalling that she was Finn's mother and he wholehearted believed that she would keep her information to herself, she nodded and her face softened slightly.

Rather than say anything to her, Finn stepped back towards her and bent down to kiss her again. She hesitated a moment before she kissed him back, deciding it felt better to kiss him than to linger on the awkwardness of getting caught doing it. Her hand went up to his neck and he moaned into her mouth as he pressed against her further than he had before Attia came down the hallway. His hand went up to her hair again, her hair feeling soft and silky between his fingers as he gently combed through all the curls, his lips keeping pace against hers. Finally, he pulled away and pressed their foreheads together. He smiled when she did and laughed first.

"I'm hungry," she told him and he nodded as he stepped back from her. She fixed her hair and straightened the neckline of her dress before she looped her arm through Finn's and let him lead her down the hallway. One positive of them having come to their agreement was that he no longer felt awkward around her. He could touch her—their hands brushing together, his fingers pulling a leaf from her hair—and not think twice about doing it. Everything around her became easy for him. He wasn't guarded anymore. Wasn't pretending to be anything. Wasn't talking up John all the time. Wasn't afraid to ask her things that he wouldn't dare ask before.

To eat lunch, she picked the garden she liked best, which also happened to be the one nobody went to. It was on the far side of Court and out of the way except to people who sought out the solitude. Rather than have a table set up, Avery had the kitchen pack up her and Finn's lunch in a basket, and asked Finn to carry it as she led the way through the garden's hedges. The hedges went up to her shoulders and just above Finn's elbows, but when she found the old stone pathway she was looking for and sat down, the hedges covered them up completely.

They sat with their backs against the hedges, their lunch spread out across the stones of the pathway in front of them. She sat with her legs bent and to the side, her ankles tucked underneath her. He sat with his legs out straight and she positioned all their food around his long legs.

"How do you do it?" Finn asked her suddenly as he turned to look at her. He was holding a sandwich in one hand and a glass of water in the other, a napkin folded over his leg. She turned to him and tilted her eyes in confusion as she held his gaze. "Be… I don't know… Be you but in Mallery?"

"I don't know what you're asking me," she admitted with a soft laugh.

"I mean, you're so… You're open and you have a lot of things to say about a lot of things, but it seems like you don't really get any opportunities to say them in Mallery. What with the way things are. Or am I wrong?"

"You're not wrong," she answered as she turned away to find the fresh vegetables in the basket. He wasn't sure if he should believe her, because she had a tendency to try to make people feel better no matter what and telling something who's wrong that their not wrong wasn't entirely outside her scope of possibility. "It is different here than in Mallery, but I never knew anything other than home before."

"And now, then?"

"Now I know what it's like to be heard every once in a while," she said. "To be noticed and considered. To be kissed," she added suddenly, keeping her eyes averted from Finn, though she could feel his gaze on her.

"You've never-" he stopped himself suddenly as he stared at the side of her head, his eyes wide with shock and guilt. "You're never kissed anyone before?"

Avery sheepishly shook her head as she slowly turned back to face him. She could feel some color rising to her cheeks again, and in the back of her mind wondered how many times she could get this embarrassed around Finn in one trip. Since he never seemed to mind, she mostly just waited until the heat went away before she focused on anything else. This time, however, Finn wasn't waiting for her cheeks to stop burning.

"Why didn't you stop me?" he asked her, his shock fading to make room for all the guilt. He hadn't wanted to be her first kiss, he just wanted to kiss her. Being a first seemed important to him, even if in the grand scheme of things a first kiss seemed inconsequential. "Why didn't you say something? I wouldn't have-"

"That's why I didn't say anything," she told him before he could continue. "I wanted you to kiss me, Finn. I wanted to know what it was like. You're the only one who I've ever…" she trailed off as she tried to hold his gaze, but eventually looked away. She turned back to him only when he reached out to turn her chin back towards him.

"I'm the only one who you ever…?"

"Thought about… like that," she finished as she turned just her eyes away from him. She eventually had to look at him again, unable to handle the silence that followed her admission. "I've not been around anyone like you before, Finn."

"Like me? What do you mean?"

"You're funny and nice."

"You've never met anyone funny and nice?" he questioned and she laughed as she turned to set her glass down before turning to him again.

"You listened to me, and you cared. And you were real."

"What do you mean?"

"You treated me like I was real. Like I was a person. You didn't just treat me like a Princess like everyone else does. Hiding their feelings and their problems and assuming that I have none of my own, and always asking if I need anything or if I want anything. You told me the truth when everyone else seems perfectly content to lie to me."

"Well, I only told you about John and Victoria because I really wanted to kiss you, and I didn't think you'd go for it if you thought John might marry you."

She laughed again as she held his gaze, her smile again impossibly bright. "That's what I mean, Finn. You don't just tell me things I want to hear. I like it. It makes me feel like we're the same."

"But we're not, Avery," he told her, his tone falling slightly with the words. "I may not treat you like a Princess, but you still are one, and I'm just… I'm just a solider now."

"You're a Knight, Finn," she reminded him, always jumping at the chance to make someone feel better about themselves.

"Knights still don't get to keep Princesses," he replied, then regretted it when her face fell and she turned away from him. They'd talked about their situation already, but for some reason Finn felt her face was especially sad then compared to all the other previous discussions they'd had. She tried to keep her eyes away from Finn, but he scooted closer to her and touched her cheek before he gently pressed her cheek to turn her back to him. "Hey," he called softly when she resisted his movements. "Come on. You knew that, Avery."

"I know," she said, her voice different, her words coming out too fast.

"What is it?" he pressed and she finally gave up and turned back to him. The pain in her face made his own chest ache as he forced his eyes to stay on her. He continued to stroke her cheek, though his gesture seemed to do nothing to make the pain in her eyes go away.

"I don't want to go," she admitted finally, her voice starting to break. "I don't want to lose you."


	23. Chapter 23

**Thoughts?**

* * *

The next morning, Attia and Keiro were woken up by Finn's messenger delivering a summons to his office. Though the summons was brief and vague, both had a feeling in the pit of their stomach that it meant the DNA test results had come back. Keiro wasn't fond of the timing, considering he and Attia had just found each other again. When he looked over to her, however, she wasn't as mad as he expected. She was obviously upset, but not livid, and certainly not ready to leave him again. He flashed a brief smile at her, and she returned it before she turned away to walk into the closet. She dressed in silence then stared down at all her shoe options intently. Her right hand was over her left, her fingers spinning the simple ring on her left hand around and around and around her finger, giving Keiro a clue that she wasn't actually that concerned with her footwear.

"What is it?" he asked her and she slowly turned up to look at him. "Please don't tell me you're thinking about me and Morgan again." She smiled at him, but it was a half smile that had sadness in it. Keiro sighed as he crossed the room and went into the closet to pull her into his arms. "Attia, no," he said in her ear as she slowly looped her arms around his neck. "I want you, and that's it. This doesn't change that."

"No matter how much you want it to be, this isn't easy," she told him, her voice muffled by his chest. Even if she was falling back to her previous misguided fears, she was still holding onto him, and he knew that was better than her pulling away entirely. He rubbed her back gently as he waited for her muscles to relax under his touch. When she finally did, he released her waist and she pulled away to smile weakly at him before she kissed him. She picked up the nearest pair of shoes before she followed him out of the closet. He finished buttoning his shirt before he held his hand out to her. She slipped her hand into his before she followed him out of the room.

They went slowly across Court until they reached Finn's office. Morgan, her husband, and Lucas were standing on the far side of the office. Finn was leaning against the front of his desk, a sealed envelope in his hand. On the near side of the room, Kyra, Chris, and Finn were standing together, the space between them and Morgan and Lucas speaking volumes. Keiro shut the office door behind him as Attia released his hand and moved to stand with her children. When Keiro came to her again, he put his hand on the small of her back.

Finn looked to Morgan and Lucas first, then turned to is other side and met Keiro and Attia's gazes. "Just do it, Finn. We all know what it says," Attia told him simply.

"Then why did we bother with it at all?" Morgan questioned. Keiro groaned as he looked over at Morgan and stared at her. He was obviously annoyed that Morgan was going out of her way to annoy Attia, even if Attia doing the same to Morgan had never bothered him before.

"Because Council requires it to prove you're not as big of a whore as we all think," Attia snapped back.

"Ok," Keiro said as he turned his head down to Attia. "She knows you don't like her, love. You don't have to keep proving it."

"Well, if she doesn't like it, she's free to leave Court any time she feels like it," Attia replied sharply. Behind the two, Finn and Kyra were giggling, Chris rolling his eyes between them, though he was unable to entirely hide his amused smile.

"Read the damn thing, Finn, before they kill each other," Keiro said suddenly as he turned away from Attia to look up at Finn.

"Alright," Finn said as he started to pull at the seal of the envelope.

"No," Lucas said suddenly and Finn paused to turn to him. He'd stepped forward, away from Morgan's husband, and was now closer to Finn than to his mother. With him right in front of her, Attia couldn't help but stare at him, amazed at how alike Lucas looked to Keiro. Their hair, their eyes, their jaw lone, their shoulders. They even had the same build. The idea that anybody but Keiro was his father was laughable.

"Is something wrong?" Finn asked as he met and held Lucas' gaze.

"I-" Lucas started then stopped as he turned away. Finn couldn't help but look at the young man the same way he did Chase, Finn, and Chris. His appearances affected Finn just as much as they had Attia, and he couldn't help but see Lucas as Keiro's son, which by default softened Finn's demeanor around him and towards him.

Finn drew in a breath as he looked around the room at everyone else waiting for the results, even if Attia already unofficial decided what they would say. "Lucas," Finn said gently, pulling his attention back to him. "What is it?" he asked as he set the partially torn envelope on the desk behind him.

"I hate Court," Lucas said simply and Finn had been unable to hide his smile. He nodded slowly as he held Lucas' gaze. "I don't like anything here."

"Then go back to the country," little Finn put in, and King Finn turned to him with a stern look on his face.

"What don't you like?" Finn asked as he turned away from his nephew to look to Lucas.

"All of it," Lucas answer, his voice harsher than Finn had ever heard it before. Keiro had heard that tone before when he'd accidentally offended Morgan's husband in front of him. "Everyone is so… Everything is-"

"Well, you do realize that if you become High Duke, a certain amount of your time will have to be spent here at Court doing the things that are required of you," Finn explained, careful to keep his words and tone gentle. "You have to attend certain events. You're supposed to help John with anything when he's King."

"I didn't even meet him," Lucas replied sharply.

"He's been a little… shall we say preoccupied," Finn said with a nod, though to be honest, he wasn't surprised that Lucas hadn't spent any time at all with the royal children. Lucas got a tough sell in that regard. The royal children had all grown up together and were very close friends, even if they tended to pair off and separate at times, and Lucas had no chance at all of stepping in that circle, regardless of who his biological father was.

"I don't want it," Lucas replied, his voice unwavering and stern. "And I already have a father," he added suddenly, his face softening slightly before he turned over his shoulder to glance at Morgan's husband, who just smiled and nodded as he encouraged Lucas to continue.

Finn narrowed his eyes at Lucas as he tried to put the boy together in his mind. He glanced up at Keiro and Attia, but it was Attia who held his gaze, the two of them seeming to have some kind of silent conversation. Attia crossed the room, leaving Keiro's arm around her waist, and came to Finn's side before she looked to Lucas as well. After a moment, she turned and pushed herself up to her toes to whisper in Finn's ear. He nodded along with her words, his eyes glued to Lucas.

"What?" Morgan snapped, obviously not a fan of the two whispering to each other about her son. Attia rolled her eyes but said nothing aloud as she continued whispering in Finn's ear.

"Yeah, I think that would work best," Finn agreed as he nodded and Attia turned to face Lucas as well. "We could have the date changed on it, and get majority Council vote on it."

"Oh, have they pulled their heads out of their ass yet?"

Finn laughed as he looked down at Attia, but she kept her eyes forward on Lucas. "They'll agree to it, just fine. We might even be able to get Victoria to come out and vote."

"What, cause it'll make such a big difference?" she questioned and Finn laughed as he shook his head.

"What?" Morgan repeated.

"Would you just wait three seconds," Attia snapped at her before she rolled her eyes and looked back at Finn. "We're trying to figure out what to do. You're the one who dragged him here and apparently didn't even have a damn conversation with the kid."

"Do not insinuate that I didn't ask him what he wanted!" Morgan replied sharply as she started towards Attia, but Keiro stepped him and pulled her back as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"She's probably armed, Morgan," Keiro said as he pulled her to the far side of the room. "And I don't think she's entirely opposed to attacking you, so maybe keep your distance."

"It's not my fault if she's upset that-"

"I wouldn't finish that sentence," Keiro said before she could finish. "Just, you know, as a health precaution."

Morgan scoffed as she pushed on Keiro's chest, though she tiny arms couldn't have moved him at all if he hadn't let her. When Keiro turned back, Attia's eyes were narrowed and locked on him, her face hard, her shoulders tense. She turned away from Keiro when Finn put his hand on her shoulder. "Draw up the papers," he told her simply and she just nodded.

"What papers?" Morgan demanded.

"Go ahead, Finn," Attia said as she turned to meet Morgan's gaze. "Explain it to the yelling psycho."

"I told you to hurry," Keiro put in when Finn's face showed his disbelief at the exchange between the two women.

"Yeah, well, you certainly know how to pick them, don't you, Keiro?" Finn asked before he turned his gaze to Morgan. "We're going to have official adoption papers drawn up dated one year after Lucas' birth and if you agree, and you both sign them," he explained as he turned from Morgan briefly to look to her husband, "then you'll be recognized as Lucas' father. He will inherit your lands and properties in addition to Morgan's and will be officially removed from the High Duke succession."

A quiet fell around the room as everyone took in the proposal Finn and Attia had come up with in just a few seconds. "Keiro won't owe you anything in terms of child support," Finn continued as he turned back to Morgan. "It'll be like you had Lucas, then your husband adopted him, and none of this ever happened."

Silence fell again as Morgan turned to her husband, and they stared at each other. He nodded first before he turned to Lucas and smiled at him with a kind of fatherly pride Keiro had never been able to muster around the boy. Around Finn, yes. Even around Chris, but not with Lucas. It was just a testament to who Lucas' real father was.

"Great," Attia said, half sarcastically, as she pushed off of the desk and started towards the door. "Sooner we get them out of here, the better."

"Hey!" Morgan snapped as she reached forward and grabbed Attia's wrist before Keiro could stop her. When Attia whipped around, a knife in her hand, Keiro had no intentions of intervening any longer. Better Attia harm Morgan than think he was trying to protect her. Morgan and the rest of the room froze as the tip of the knife touched against the skin of her neck.

"Attia," Finn called from the other side of the room, his voice even in an attempt to emotionally disarm Attia.

"I've lost all patience for you," Attia said as she held Morgan's gaze, her knife feeling heavier in her hand than it usually did. It was the knife her father had given her, the one with hers and Keiro's initials engraved in the blade delicately touching Morgan's skin. "And if you kiss my husband again, you won't have such a pretty little face anymore. So much as touch him, and you won't set foot inside Court ever again, I guarantee it. Not that you'd ever want to with me gunning for you. Do we have an understanding?"

"Attia, love, I don't think you have to scar her for life," Keiro said as he turned to her and waited for her eyes to shift to him.

"It goes for you too," she told him strongly.

"I assumed," he said as he nodded and took in a breath. "By the way, I told her," Keiro said as he glanced down to Morgan briefly then met Attia's gaze again.

"Really?" Morgan asked sarcastically, trying to sound as though the knife at her throat was of no consequence, but her voice betrayed her fear. Her entire body was shaking as she wondered in Attia really would make good on her threat, but Keiro wrapped his fingers around her wrist and pulled her arm down, knife and all.

"I hate her," Attia declared simply as she yanked her arm out of Keiro's grasp and tucked her knife back into her belt.

"You're jealous."

"I am not," she replied sharply as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"It's ok," he said with a shrug and smug smirk. "It's kind of hot."

She scoffed as she turned on her heel and started towards the door, aware that Keiro took every step with her. "The next time you get drunk and horny, you better just run away with her, because I'll kill you both," she declared and Keiro laughed as he put his hand on her waist and bent down to kiss her cheek.

"Oh, I believe you, love," he said and Attia rolled her eyes as she shrugged him off of her shoulders and continued out of the room. Keiro was laughing as he followed her, two steps behind. The door shut behind them, leaving Morgan near the doorway, still terrified ever after the immediate threat was gone. She was only slightly aware that her husband had been present for the entire exchange, and had just indirectly learned about the exchange between Morgan and Keiro that had Attia so on edge.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Finn's voice said, pulling Morgan's attention back, but she saw he had moved to the other side of the room where Kyra, Chris, and Finn were standing. "She seems to be reacting as normally as I would expect."

"Did you know?" Kyra asked him, her eyes narrowed, her voice lower than usual.

"No," Finn answered as he shook his head and offered her a reassuring smile. "He didn't tell me. I really wouldn't look too much into it. You can't think of their relationship in normal terms."


	24. Chapter 24

It was the first normal dinner they'd had since King Logan and Queen Abigail's arrival. They'd decided to have a quiet night to themselves, so Finn had the circular dinner table brought into his office and set with six place settings. Claudia was with him at his desk, their hands intertwined as he finished signing off on a couple things. Casper and Anne came into the room within the next few minutes, each holding a bottle of wine, their hands joined between them. The servers rolled in carts with the food before Keiro and Attia ever arrived, and Casper was the first to start eating, deciding he wasn't going to eat cold food waiting for Keiro and Attia. Just as everyone started to eat, Attia and Keiro came through the door of the office, both laughing and smiling.

"I hate you," Attia said she rolled her arm to push his hand off of her shoulder. Keiro only laughed as he replaced his hand to her waist as she turned up to look at him. He bent down to kiss her, regardless if there was anyone in the room, and she pushed him off as she turned to make it to the table. The other four noticed the exchange, but nobody commented on it, deciding that if they were happy, nobody would interfere.

As they took their seats, Attia reached to the center of the table to grab the bottle of white wine while Keiro started to take a bite out of his somewhat cold dinner. When Keiro nudged her side, she was distracted enough to peer back at him, but he was grinning at her rather than actually eating.

"Is that a wedding ring?" Anne asked suddenly and Attia sat back quickly, retrieving her left hand from the bottle as quickly as she could. Anne turned to Attia, her lips pulled up in a wide smile as she rose an eyebrow at her. Attia avoiding her gaze as she reached out with her right hand to pour the wine into her and Keiro's glasses.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Attia said finally and Keiro laughed, earning him a jab in the side with Attia's elbow. "Shut up," she told him and he laughed again.

"I didn't say a thing," he replied as he took his wine glass from his hand and raised it to his lips. She rolled her eyes as she turned away from him to try to eat, but the stares from Finn, Claudia, and Anne were distracting enough for her to peer up at them.

"You're wearing a wedding ring," Claudia said as she held Attia's gaze. Attia only shook her head as she tried to focus on eating her dinner, but between the stares from Finn, Claudia, and Anne, as well as Keiro's snickers on the side of her, she could hardly focus on anything. She didn't know what it was that put her in such a good mood, but having Lucas pull out from the High Duke succession and her now positive relationship with Keiro were certainly helping.

"No, I'm not," Attia said finally when she trusted her voice to remain even and still. Of course, Claudia and Anne didn't believe her.

"We can have the wedding in Primstone," Anne said.

"No," Attia said quickly as she shook her head. "No. No. No, we're not having a wedding. We're not getting married. We're not even signing a stupid marriage license. No."

"Then why are you wearing a ring?" Finn asked and Attia kept her gaze on Anne, knowing that she didn't want to see Finn's expression, nor did she want to see Keiro's.

"Because she's-"

"Don't," she said before Keiro could continue. "Don't tell them."

"Did you actually propose?" Anne asked, sounding far too excited, as she turned to Keiro.

"No," Attia answered before Keiro could. "It wasn't really a question. More of a demand."

"That she answered anyway," Keiro added as he turned to her with narrowed eyes.

"And you said yes!" Anne said excited.

"No," Keiro and Attia answered at once. They were staring at each other, Keiro threatening to tell the truth, Attia warning him not to. Anne and Claudia looked at each other, both understandably confused.

"But you're wearing the ring," Claudia said.

"Oh, yes she is," Keiro said and Attia groaned as she turned away from him. Everyone at the table already knew that, but she was upset that Keiro confirmed it anyway. "Not many would be bold enough to outright reject a proposal and then take the ring anyway. You should be proud," he said sarcastically as he grinned at himself and took a bite of his dinner.

"We're confused," Finn said simply, but Attia had no intentions of clearing it up for them. "Are you getting married?"

"No," Attia answered as she shook her head.

"Not just 'no'," Keiro said as he set his fork down and looked up. Attia shut her eyes as she knew what was coming. "'No' is what normal people say when they don't want to get married. Attia says…" he paused as he cleared his throat and turned to her. "What was it that you said?" he asked mockingly.

"Keiro, don't," she said warningly.

"Oh, I know what it was. 'I won't fucking marry you' were your exact words, and then you stole ring in the morning."

"You're taking it out of context," she accused, ignoring the entire table laughing at the story. Keiro only stared at her, obviously entertained, and though she hadn't wanted him to share the specifics of the story, she wasn't all that mad either.

"Oh, am I?" he asked her.

"You only asked because of Morgan's bastard kid, and I will not marry you because of her. That is it."

"Then give me back the ring."

"Fine," she said as she pulled it off of her finger and held it out to him. Keiro stilled as his eyes fell to the ring then up to her eyes. The table had stopped laughing as they all watched the exchange, not quite certain where it was headed. "What, Keiro?" she asked, her turn to using a mocking tone. "All of a sudden you don't want your ring back?"

Keiro remained quiet as he narrowed his eyes at her and her smirk grew.

"Cause you like me wearing it, don't you?" she questioned. She pushed it back onto her finger even without making him answer the question. "So next time you want to bitch that I said no and took it anyway, don't ask for it back, because I will gladly return it to you," she said as she reached out for her glass of wine and took a sip, revealing in her short lived victory.

"I hate you," he said finally and she laughed, her left hand moving beneath the table to touch his leg. They ate their dinner with less distractions after that, but when a knock came at the door, the six turned to see little Finn sticking his head into the office before he stepped inside completely.

"Mom, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Is it about the girl?" Attia asked as she turned back to her dinner to take one more bite.

"What girl?" Keiro asked and Attia shook her head as she touched his shoulder when she stood up.

"No one, don't worry about it," she told him as she kissed his cheek and turned to Finn in the doorway. "We'll go for a walk," she said and Finn nodded as he stepped out of the office, Attia following behind him. They went a ways down the hallway in the other direction that led to the empty corridors of Court where Attia had caught Finn and Avery a couple days ago.

"We said that we were just… I don't know… having fun," Finn finally said, though he couldn't exactly remember his reasoning to choose his mother to talk to of all people. They must've been practical reasons rather than emotional ones, because she was doing nothing to calm his nerves. If he wanted someone to support emotional stability, he'd have picked Anne.

"You and the Princess?" Attia asked and Finn only nodded. "And how well is that working out for you?"

"How surprised would you be if I said not very well?"

"I'd say I'm not that surprised," Attia answered, keeping her gaze forward as they walked. The corridor was growing darker as they reached the empty portion of Court where nobody bothered to keep on the lights at night. "You're not exactly your father, you know. Not when it comes to your girls."

"It was fine at first," Finn said, grateful that his mother didn't make him look her in the eye as he said such personal things.

"And then?"

"And then it wasn't."

Attia looked over at him sympathetically, as she wondered what exactly it was he was expecting out of her. He met her gaze for a moment before he turned to look out the window at the landscape. "Your father and I started like that," Attia admitted, though she'd never actually told anyone that before. King Finn had never asked, and she'd never told the truth to Anne and Claudia. "He promised me that nothing would change. I'm pretty sure that's the only promise he's ever broken before."

"What?" Finn replied sharply. "He didn't promise to not cheat on you?"

"Finn," Attia said, her voice falling as she stepped towards him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Are you talking about the kiss?"

"That you almost murdered her over? Yeah, that's one," Finn answered, his voice still carrying an edge.

"If I was going to kill her, I would have by now," Attia assured him and he wasn't sure if that was supposed to be reassuring or not. "Besides, that was nothing. You shouldn't think any less of him because of it. He was drunk and she's a whore, and that was their entire relationship before anyway."

"You're really ok with that?" Finn questioned as he turned to look at her, the disbelief clear across his face.

"Yes, Finn," Attia answered, keeping her voice stern and clear.

"He tried to explain to me what happened with her the first time around and I said it was convoluted," he told her and she laughed as she nodded along.

"That sounds about right. How did he explain it?"

"That you said it was more like he was cheating on her with you rather than cheating on you with her."

Attia started to laugh again as she nodded. Thoughts of Morgan lately had made her so mad, and so ridiculously angry, that it was nice to laugh at the wording Keiro used to describe things. It was nice for her to stop being so mad about Morgan for once.

"We never said you should have the kind of relationship that we do," Attia said, nearly repeating the same words Keiro had said to him earlier. "But I don't know what this has to do with Princess Avery."

"She doesn't want to go back to Mallery," Finn answered. His comment about Morgan and his father had nothing to do with Avery, but Attia wasn't trying to connect the two. She just followed the conversation anywhere Finn wanted it to go.

"Well, John isn't going to marry her," Attia replied. "You know that, Finn. He's probably going to marry Victoria, and you'll be High Duke again and Commander. The three of you are replacing me, your father, and your uncle. Everybody has accepted that much, Finn."

"She doesn't want to go," Finn repeated more strongly as though his mother hadn't understood him the first time around. "I don't want her to go. I want her to stay."

"I don't know what you want me to do."

"You could do it, you know," Finn said strongly as he held her gaze, his eyes holding hers sternly. They were Attia's eyes staring back at her, cold and hard and determined. "I know you could. If anybody could find a way to let her stay, it would be you. You fixed Kyra's wedding!"

"I gave her a wedding, Finn, not a Princess," Attia replied, careful not to let herself get defensive even as her son became more and more aggressive as his emotions began to rule him. That much was Keiro, at least. Getting so caught up in feelings. Expressing them was Attia's trait.

"But you could do it," he repeated again. Attia hadn't yet denied it. She wasn't entirely sure how to do it, but Finn knew just as well as she that if there was a way, she could find it. It was just a matter of whether or not she would look.

"Finn, I don't think this is the best idea," Attia said finally, feeling the premature guilt of breaking his heart, but she knew it had to be said. "You've only been with her for what? A few weeks at the most?"

"That doesn't matter!"

"It doesn't matter? And if I were to hypothetically find a way to let her stay here, and you two break up a month later, what then? We send her back to Mallery with a note for her parents? Sorry it didn't work out as well as we hoped?"

"It'll work!"

"Finn," Attia said strongly, trying to get him to bring his volume down. She hadn't meant to upset him as much as she obviously had. The corridor fell silent as they stared at each other, the look in Finn's eyes refusing to fade even if Attia only looked up at him with genuine care and love. "Do you love her?"

Finn didn't answer right away. The idea of love hadn't even crossed his mind, but the second the word fell out of his mother's mouth, he knew it was the right word. "Yes," he finally said then pretended not to see the flash in Attia's eyes. "I do."

"Go get some sleep," Attia told him simply. "You're still her guard, you know. You can't show up with bags under your eyes. What if she actually gets attacked?"

"You sound like Mason," he said with a scoff.

"Mason takes his job seriously," Attia answered and Finn rolled his eyes as he started to walk away from her. She tried to fight the pain in her chest knowing she'd disappointed her child. He claimed he loved Avery, but he'd been in love before and they'd all faded away as well. She couldn't risk international relations on the whims of a boy in love. That was what she kept telling herself over and over as she slowly made her way back to the office where the five at the table were slowly eating their dessert. She was preoccupied the rest of the night, and everyone could tell, even if nobody pressed her to explain Finn's problem.

All she could really think about was how entirely his own Finn seemed to be to her suddenly. He'd always been bits and pieces of others. Her eyes, Keiro's reliance on emotion, her ability to express emotion. But believing so whole heartedly in the prospect of love wasn't something Keiro or Attia possessed. That was something that was Finn entirely, and she realized that was the reason she'd already decided to help him, even if she hadn't told him that much.


	25. Chapter 25

**I'm glad everyone's been enjoying this story so far :)**

* * *

"You have to admit it," John said as he stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. Victoria was laying against him, her head on his chest, her arm across his body, their legs tangled together. His hand was in her hair, his fingers tangling in the locks every so often before he smoothed them out.

"Admit what?" she asked as she kept drawing patterns on his stomach with her fingernail. John had sent a messenger to the Council meeting explain he'd fallen ill that morning and would be unable to attend the meeting scheduled for that day. In truth, he had every intention of spending all day with Victoria most likely in bed.

"It's easier now that Finn told her about us," John answered as he turned his head to look at her. "We're not pretending here anymore at least."

"I still hate pretending at all," she replied bitterly as she kept her gaze away from his. She pressed herself against him more fully, even though their bodies were already completely pressed together.

"Come on," John laughed as he touched her shoulder. "It's not like we were pretending that well anyway. It's no secret you've not attended one Council meeting since she got here."

"Yes, and I'm completely lost with everything going on," she told him, sounding every bit as disappointed as she looked. "I hate being stuck in here all day long."

"You're the one who insists on staying in here."

"I'm not leaving here and enduring all those little stares cause everyone knows she here to marry you, John."

"Tor," John groaned as he reached down to touch her chin and force her eyes upward. "I'm trying to make you feel better. You know better than anyone else that I have no intentions of marrying her."

"Doesn't mean I like her being here, John. Or in our room, because Finn has some stupid crush on her. I don't like thinking about her. Or seeing her."

John knew better than to laugh so he just pressed his lips to her forehead. She turned up to him again to meet his next kiss with her lips. Their progression from sweet reassuring kisses to passionate promising ones was actually fairly quick. They were already wearing minimal clothing, and it was simple for him to roll over and lay above her as their lips continued to move against each other's.

They broke apart only when they heard the sound of the door opening in the front room followed by the unmistakable smell of breakfast. She pulled on her robe while John slipped on a pair of shorts before they went out into the front room. The server was already gone, having left behind a cart full of breakfast foods along with a stack of plates and cups beside a pitcher of water on the table. Finn and Avery were already in the room and each grabbed a plate before they started to help themselves to the food. John and Victoria followed suit, but only Charlotte came out of her room for food while Chase stayed in his.

"This is unusually good," Charlotte commented as she ate, hardly taking the time to stop chewing before speaking. She was the only one talking since Victoria was too bitter around Avery to say anything and John had nothing to say unless someone spoke to him. Finn and Avery, however, seemed different to Charlotte. They still stole glances of each other every so often, but their glances weren't half hidden smiles like they were sharing some secret. Instead, they were more half afraid, but it was too early in the morning for her to put anything together.

"Do you want to go out to the forest today?" Finn asked suddenly as he turned to look at Avery, seated beside him. She met his gaze and blinked, then blinked again as though she was still processing his words.

"Yes," she finally answered with a nod and a smile. It looked like any of her other smiles to Charlotte, Victoria, and John, but Finn knew it was missing something behind it.

"What is even in the forest?" Victoria questioned and Finn turned to her. Victoria was aware the forest provided privacy for the two to disappear within, as everyone else knew as well, but she was letting her bitter resolve leak out.

"Plants and flowers and trees," Finn answered as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"The gardens have all those things, and are a lot closer," Victoria replied.

"Tor," John said warningly as he reached out to put his hand on her shoulder. She shrugged his arm off, however, as she held Finn's gaze. Finn didn't really understand why Victoria was suddenly so aggressive towards Avery considering it was well established that Avery had no interest in marrying John anymore and was at Court by virtue of her parents.

"We've already been through all the gardens," Finn answered strongly. "John, do you want to go with us in the forest and spend some quality time with your future wife?"

Victoria tossed her water at Finn, cup and all, for the comment then watched him as he restrained his tongue and reached for a towel. "Go to the forest and take her with you," Victoria said bitterly.

"What is your problem?" Finn snapped at her. After he wiped his face and patted the front of his shirt dry he tossed the towel at her but she swatted it out of the air. "She's leaving as soon as all these stupid negotiations are over. Which might not be very soon considering the two of you are sitting around here instead of doing your jobs!"

"What? My being there is going to convince her clueless father to get the hell out?" Victoria snapped.

"Enough," John said as he pulled on Victoria's arm and forced her attention to him. "Let it go, Victoria." She stared at him for a moment before she sat back on the couch and crossed her arms as Finn glared at her.

"I mean what are you really planning on doing, anyway?" Victoria questioned and John groaned. "She's leaving, Finn, just like you said, and yet here you are whisking her away to the forest. And for what? To make out in the bushes, and head back out there after she leaves and breaks your heart?"

"What is wrong with you?" Finn snapped as he stared at her. "You don't like her, obviously, but you don't have to be a bitch, Victoria."

"I'm just asking what everyone else is afraid to," Victoria replied, her voice still carrying a defensive edge in response to his aggressive one. "What are you going to do when she breaks your heart? Because we can all tell you're falling way too hard, Finn."

"And that's for you to decide?" Finn snapped as he stood up. His gaze faltered for a second when he felt Avery's fingers slide into his hand and squeeze. He turned to her briefly before he tried to turn back to Victoria, but something in her gaze forced him to keep his eyes on her. He swallowed as he squeezed her hand and sat back down, his eyes on hers.

"I think the forest sounds lovely," she said, as though the entire argument had not happened at all. She smiled at Finn and whatever was missing was replaced and he smiled back at her easily.

"Ok," he said as he nodded. "I just have to change."

"Just take one of my shirts," John said with a shrug and Finn nodded as he turned to him, his eyes glazing over Victoria easily.

"Alright, thanks," Finn said as he started to stand, but Victoria stood first.

"I'll get it," she said, her voice softer than it had been before. She didn't wait for Finn to respond before turning and walking towards John's room. "Do you want an undershirt too?" she called out.

"No!" John answered for him, his voice loud and desperate as he stood up and turned to the hallway leading to his room. His eyes were wide, as he stared at the empty hallway, Charlotte and Finn staring at him like he'd lost his mind.

"What is this?" Victoria asked, her voice soft and breathless as she stepped out of the hallway. Over her arm a shirt and undershirt were slung but in her hands she held a small jewelry box that'd she'd already opened to reveal a diamond ring. "This… This is a… An engagement ring," she finally said as she held John's gaze, her eyes as wide as his.

"I didn't want it to be like this," he said as he approached her and took the shirts off of her arm. He tossed them to the couch without looking and took the box from Victoria's shaking fingers. "I meant to ask you for real at… I don't know… dinner or something. I didn't really plan it out very well, and I apparently didn't hide it very well either. I'm rambling because you're staring at me and it's making me really nervous, Tor."

"It's for me?" she asked, her voice still barely louder than a whisper.

"Of course," John answered with a dry laugh. He looked down to pull the ring out of the box and he spun it around in his fingers for a few seconds before he looked up to meet her gaze once more. "Who else would it be for?"

Victoria remained speechless as she just stared at him, her mouth open as though she'd tried to say something but the words failed to come out. She let out a breath before she sucked one in once more. "Are you going to… to ask then?"

"Now?"

"Well, yeah," she said as she smiled at him. "You're going to make me wait longer?" she asked him, her voice starting to break as tears started to form in the corners of her eyes.

"No," he answered with a laugh as he bent down and kissed the corner of each eye to pull the tears away before they actually fell. She sucked in another shaky breath as she licked her lips then pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. Her entire body seemed to be shaking as she stared up at John, his gaze as lovingly as it had ever been before.

He looked down at the ring in his fingers again before he met her gaze once more. He drew in a deep breath as well, the only sign that he was as nervous as she. "Well, I had things that I wanted to say to you, and I can't remember what they are anymore except that I love you and… and something else."

"It doesn't matter," she said as she shook her head. More tears had gathered in her eyes and he reached out to wipe them away with his thumb as his smile grew. "Just skip it."

"Alright," he laughed as he nodded and bent down to press their foreheads together. "Tor, will you marry me?"

She didn't even answer before she pressed their lips together and threw her arms around his neck. She pulled on his neck so tightly that he was almost fearful for a bruise, but he ignored that as he kissed her back for as long as she kissed him. His arm wrapped around her waist while his other hand gingerly kept a grip on the ring between his fingers. "Yes," she finally breathed out as she pulled away from him before kissing him once more. The second kiss was shorter than the first and when she pulled away she retrieved her left hand from his neck and offered it to him. He slipped the ring onto her finger before he wrapped both his arm around her waist and held her so tightly that he lifted her feet off of the ground.

"I hope those are happy tears," he said as she let out a few more tears. She nodded furiously as she held his gaze and kept kissing him every few seconds, the pair of them oblivious to Charlotte, Finn, and Avery in the room still. "I love you, so much."

"I love you, too," she breathed out as she tightened her arms around his neck and put her chin on his shoulder. She wrapped her left arm further around his neck so she could admire the new addition to her jewelry collection. As she lowered her hand, she met Charlotte's gaze and beamed at her. When John released her waist, Victoria hurried over to Charlotte and the two of them laughed and giggled over the ring as Charlotte hugged Victoria tightly. Finn smiled at John and even hugged him, though the two said nothing to each other.

Neither Finn nor Avery said anything about it until they'd already reached the tree line on horseback. Finn wanted to go deeper before exploring on foot, so Avery let him take the reins of her horse as well as he led guided their horses down the dirt path.

"They seemed happy," Avery said and Finn stilled for a moment before he took in a breath and nodded. "Is that why she doesn't like me? She was afraid I was going to take that from her?"

"I don't know," Finn answered with a shrug. "She's not exactly letting anyone know what her problem is. And if John knows, he's not sharing either."

"I never wanted to come between anybody."

"I know that. You haven't, Avery," Finn answered as they reached a small clearing and he slipped off of his horse's saddle. He secured the reins of his horse to a branch before doing the same with her reins. He came around to the side of her horse and held up his arms to steady her as she slipped down to the ground. Rather than retrieving his arms from her waist right away, he slipped his arms around her waist and stepped towards her, grateful when she put her arms around his neck and accepted his advance. She was smiling when he pressed their lips together.

"What's bothering you, Finn?" she asked him when he pulled away. Something had been different about their kiss and she'd been able to feel it. It was desperate compared to the others, and his eyes were conflicted as he stared down at her. She moved her fingers to his forehead to push away the strands of his hair that had fallen out of place, and he shut his eyes at the feel of her fingertips on his skin. "Please tell me. I hate to see you like this," she said, her voice barely a whisper even though they were completely alone without anyone to find them or overhear them. "You look like you're hurting, and that hurts me."

"I don't want you to hurt, Avery," he said softly as he pulled her to him again and pressed his lips to her temple. He swallowed as he felt her fingers on his neck.

"I love it when you say my name," she admitted, her voice catching slightly. He smiled at her as he pulled away to meet her gaze. "Please tell me what's wrong."

"There's a bush of these flowers over here I know you'll like," he said, purposely dodging her request without lying to her. He took her hand and squeezed her fingers more tightly than necessary as he led her down the path a little further before they stepped into the greenery. He took her to the bush that grew blue and purple flowers, but she'd only glanced at them for a moment before she looked up at him again. "What? I thought you'd like the color."

"Finn, please," she pleaded as she touched his cheek with her hand. He shut his eyes as he turned into her hand, amazed at how much he could feel when she just innocently touched him, and amazed at how not so innocent a reaction he could have to her.

"I-" Finn started as he opened his eyes finally and looked down at her. Her eyes were wide and worried, her face tense. He hated the way she looked when she was so worried, so he reached out to cup her cheek, his thumb running over all the lines of her face cause by her tension until they disappeared. "Come on," he said as he lead her back to the path and further up it. They walked for some time until he paused to look around at their surroundings for a moment.

"Are we lost?"

"So little faith," he replied as he lead her off of the path and through the shrubbery.

"I have faith in you," she told him, and he could hear the smile in her voice. "I was only asking because-" She stopped when they stepped out into the clearing where a small pond collected at the base of a waterfall off of a short cliff of rocks. The grass was impossibly green and the trees provided more than enough shade while all the flowers and vines gave the entire area more color other than the shades of green and blue.

"My parents showed this to me a long time ago, but I'd never come back until now," Finn said as he lead her further into the clearing before he sat on the grass. She sat beside him and turned towards him, her smile brighter than before, but her eyes still tinged with concern.

"It's beautiful."

"Good," Finn said. "I'm glad you like it."

"I won't enjoy myself even here until you tell me what's wrong."


	26. Chapter 26

He didn't want to tell her. He didn't want to burden her with all the things plaguing him, but he could vaguely recall that that was one of the things that had bothered her about others. But part of him just didn't want to talk about it at all. Part of him wanted to put their solitude to good use. They probably didn't have much time left together anyway, and they certainly wouldn't be alone the way they were any time soon.

Rather than tell her, he leaned forward and pressed their lips together. She kissed him back, because even though she wanted him to talk to her about what was wrong, she wanted to kiss him just as much. She put one arm around his neck as they kissed, while her other arm stayed behind her to steady herself. Finn just continued to kiss her and kiss her and kiss her, his arms wrapping around her tightly. He wanted to know what it would feel like to have her laying beneath him, her hands on his bare chest, his hands anywhere on her body.

With a groan, he pulled away from her before he lost complete control of himself. He turned away so he couldn't see the sight of her swollen kissed lips, but his resolve was still breaking when she touched his shoulder and moved closer to him still. "Was something wrong?" she asked him and he shook his head. Nothing could ever be wrong with her, he was certain.

"No, it was perfect," he told her.

"I feel so…" she started but trailed off, not certain how to describe it. "I want you to keep kissing me, Finn, if you won't tell me what's wrong."

"I can't, Avery," he said as he shook his head. He wanted to look at her, but he kept his eyes forward on the water, knowing the sight of her face would make him tackle her to the ground. She was a Princess and deserved better than his lust driven desire played out in a glorified field.

"Why?" she asked as she wrapped her arm around his and tightened. She felt his body tense at her movement, so she released hold of his arm and slowly pulled her arm away. Before she could retrieve it completely, Finn reached out and touched her hand. He pulled her fingers back around his arm, not wanting to lose the contact even if he had a sleeve in the way. "Finn, please," Avery pleaded again and he couldn't hold out on facing her anymore.

He turned towards her, and immediately felt any strength he had to deny her fade away instantly. Without thinking, he kissed her again, his arms wrapping around her tightly. She kissed him back passionately, her lips moving more forcefully than they ever had before. It was as though she'd always been following his lead and moving at his speed, but now that she knew she wanted to kiss him, she was kissing him the way she wanted. She had an arm around his neck, her fingers tangled his hair, while her other arm supported her body. Eventually, she wanted to touch him more than she wanted to stay seated, so she lifted her arm off of the ground and touched his cheek as she tumbled onto her back, Finn landing on top of her.

He groaned at the feel of their bodies pressed together the way they were when he fell onto her. He forced himself to lift off of her enough to alleviate the pressure of his weight off of his body, but he couldn't dream of ending their kiss now. His hands moved down her side slowly, his fingers imagining what her skin beneath her dress would feel like. He imagined her skin was as soft as her hair. He wasn't sure if his shirt had become untucked in the process of kissing her, or if she'd grown bold enough to pull it out herself, but the next sensation he knew was the feel of her hand pressed against his bare abdomen.

Another groaned escaped his throat as he pulled from the kiss and dropped his head to the grass beside her head. She started to withdraw her hand, but his hand went down immediately to grab her wrist and force her hand to stay where it was. He clenched his teeth as he took in the feel of her fingers on his bare skin, a feeling he wasn't even sure he could handle. He didn't want to do any of these things with her, but she was destroying all his strength with every kiss.

"I want you so bad," he finally admitted in her ear as he released her wrist, expecting her to pull her hand out from under his shirt. Instead, her fingers stayed there and started to move on their own, exploring his abdomen slowly, her fingertips moving in and out of the grooves of his muscles. "Oh God, Avery," he groaned as her hands traveled lower until her fingers brushed the skin just above the hem of his pants. "Please don't do this to me," he said as he forced himself to roll over onto his back. He brought his hands to his eyes as he tried to slow his breathing.

"I don't want to stop, Finn."

"Don't say that," he said strongly, his teeth still clenched as he tried to regain some of his sense. He shouldn't be in such a compromising position with a Princess.

"It's true," she said as she moved to his side and pressed a kiss to his clothed chest.

"Avery, stop," he pleaded her as he sucked in a breath. "I can't do this. We can't do this."

"Don't you want to?" she asked and his eyes shot open. They were darker than usual, but so were hers. He stared at her and swallowed before he pushed himself up with his elbow and reached out to touch her neck with his hand.

"Of course I want to," he told her. "I've wanted this for… I don't even know. Since… I don't know when I started liking you, but I- I want this so badly, Avery, but we shouldn't. You're-" He stopped himself as he shut his eyes and rolled back down.

"I'm leaving," she said when he couldn't say it. His face contorted at the word, and she realized that had been what was bothering him so much. "I'm sorry, Finn. I'm sorry I'm leaving," she said, her voice breaking as tears started to form in her eyes. He sat up again quickly when he heard the half sobs in her words. He reached out for her, desperate for her to not cry, to not be in pain like him. "I can't help it. I said I don't want to leave. I told you. I want to stay here with you."

"Don't cry," he said as he wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. "Please don't cry."

"Do you love me?" Her voice was soft and broken and racked with sobs, her eyes wide and desperate as she stared at him. He knew he could lie to her and break her heart and end it between them. He'd not be so tempted by her anymore after that, and she'd probably request a new guard. Then she'd leave and that would be it. He could make their separation easier with one little lie of a word.

"Yes," he answered as though it had been completely obvious. Even though that had been the answer she wanted to hear, she cried anyway and dropped her head to his chest, her entire body lining up with his on the ground. He wrapped his arms around her as he held her and stroked her hair. She cried for only a little before she lifted her head to meet his gaze.

He rolled her onto her back and stayed in the space above her, though he kept most of his weight off of her. He whispered comforting words in her ear as he pressed soft kisses to her temple, her cheek, her neck. She moaned, the sound exciting him, when his lips passed over a specific spot in the crevice of her neck. He returned to it, and was rewarded with her hand coming up to his neck and her fingers entangling in her hair.

"That feels so… so good, Finn," she said, her voice hardly able to make words between her moans. Every time his efforts pulled a moan from her lips, he was encouraged to continue to find every spot on her body that made her make that sound. Eventually his kisses moved to the front of her neck and onto her collar bones. He kissed down her chest until he reached the neckline of her dress, where he paused and lifted himself up to meet her gaze. She nodded at him as she reached between them with her free hand to pull on the laced ribbon on the front of her dress.

Avery was obviously nervous, her fingers trembling as she pulled the ribbon through their eyelets and exposed more and more of her skin with every pull of the ribbon. To calm her again, Finn kissed her lips, his kiss soft and gentle, reminiscent of their first kisses rather than the passionate once they'd grown into recently. "It's ok," he whispered against her lips before he kissed her again. "Just tell me when to stop, Avery, and I will, I promise."

She only nodded as she swallowed and finished pulling on the ribbon of her dress. He resumed his kisses on her neck to further relax her and calm her nerves. After a few kisses, her moans came back and he even felt her legs moving to make space for one of his between them. Shifting so that he had a knee between hers made his position much more comfortable and at the same time more exciting. Before he pulled on the top of her dress to expose more of her skin, he pushed himself up to his knees and started to unbutton all the buttons of his shirt. Avery noticed his efforts and helped him by starting with the bottom buttons. After he shrugged the shirt off of his shoulders, he tossed it to the side and pulled his undershirt over his head, watching as Avery's eyes shifted down to look at his torso. Her fingers traced over his muscles again, and he tensed his legs to keep himself steady under her examination.

"I think you're beautiful, Finn," she told him and he smiled as a half laugh half breath escaped him.

"Good," he said as he lowered himself to her once more. Her hands roamed his chest and he tried not to let the feeling overwhelm him. Whenever her fingers threatened to go below the band of his pants, he pulled her hands back up again. He didn't need any extra stimulation to over excite him, and he wanted everything to be about her. He eventually pushed himself up again and looked down to meet her gaze. "I don't want you to regret this," he told her finally.

Avery bit her lip as she reached out and dragged the back of her fingers along his forehead and down the side of his face. He shut his eyes as her fingers pulled down on his eyelids and traced over his lips. He didn't expected her to lift herself up and press their lips together, but he responded to the kiss as he moved lower until she was on the ground again and he was just above her. Her arm circled around his neck as she kissed him eagerly until he pulled away to take a breath.

"I could never regret you," she said softly and he only nodded at her. He still had his reservations and she could tell. She just kept trying to kiss him as her hand stayed on his chest where he kept pulling her hands to be. Eventually he couldn't continue putting it off, her kisses and touches more than enough to convince him.

"Are you ok?" he asked her softly after they'd finished as he kept his eyes on the front of her dress as he pushed the end of the ribbons through the eyelets. Avery smiled at him, but he didn't see it until she reached out and pushed his chin up. She kissed him softly before she wrapped her arms around his neck, forcing him to stop lacing up her dress.

"I'm perfect," she told him finally as she tightened her grip around his neck. "This was perfect."

Finn nodded as she pulled away and smiled at him again. He returned the smile as the brightness in her eyes got brighter, as though was ever possible. He nodded again as he continued to help lace up her dress, leaving the last few eyelets for her to tighten however she liked it. He started to push his arms through the sleeves of his shirt as he sat back from her, but he was distracted when Avery put her arms around him again and climbed into his lap to better hug and kiss him.

He only laughed as he indulged her, returning her kisses, putting his arms around her. One of her arms went down from his neck to wrap around his middle over his undershirt but under his open button up. "I love you," he said to her and she smiled even brighter at him before she pressed their lips together once more.

"I love you, too," she replied. He'd expected a blush to appear on her cheeks, but it never came. She wasn't embarrassed by any of that any more it seemed.

"We have to get back before someone notices we've been gone all day," he told her and she nodded slowly as she sat back down on the ground and finished lacing up her dress. He buttoned up his shirt and tucked it in before he stood and offered his hand to her. They walked back to their horses and started the ride back to Court, which went faster than they cared for. Upon reaching Court, however, they were immediately told that a royal family dinner had been called some time ago and both were expected to arrive in the formal dining hall.

Without the extra time to change, Avery brushed out her dress the best she could and Finn pulled the blades of grass from her curls. Finn adjusted his shirt so that the wrinkles were quite so obvious before he led Avery to the formal dining hall, where they were the last to arrive. Avery's seat was on the other side of her mother while Finn had to cross to the other side of the room to sit between his father and his sister.

"Where did you go off to today?" Queen Abigail asked curiously as she turned to Avery. "The messenger said they couldn't find you anywhere."

"Oh, I wanted to take the horses out for a little ride," Avery answered as she reached out to pick up her glass of water and take a sip.

"Well, you look like you've been rolling around on the ground," Queen Abigail commented as she picked a leaf from under Avery's hair. Charlotte broke out into laugher on the other side of the table, pulling all attention to her.

"Stop tickling me Chase," she said as she sealed her lips and tried to stifle her giggles. Chase was obviously not tickling her as he grinned over at Finn, who ignored the looks from his cousins. Even John was having trouble concealing his grin as Finn drew in a deep breath and became determined to sit through the entire meal silently. King Finn rose an eyebrow as he turned and met Attia's gaze, knowing Finn had spoken to her about some mysterious girl a few days prior. Attia skillfully avoided Finn's gaze as she reached out for her wine glass and took a sip before she turned to meet Keiro's gaze.

Keiro leaned into her and she smiled as though he were saying something sweet to her. Finn rolled his eyes at their effort but only Claudia noticed as she let out one laugh and reached over under the table to touch his leg. "Has she been rolling around on the ground?" Keiro asked in Attia's ear and she let herself make a girlish giggle.

"Probably," she answered before pulling away from him. Keiro drew in a deep breath before he nodded slowly and turned briefly to his son, who was adamant in not making eye contact with anyone. He, as well as his namesake, just told themselves that so long as King Logan and Queen Abigail didn't catch on then they were fine.


	27. Chapter 27

As soon as the dinner ended, little Finn started to excuse himself, but King Finn looked over at him with raised eyebrows. "I need to talk to you about something, Finn, in my office," he declared before the young man could reach the doorway.

"You know, I'm just so tired and I have to get up early to-"

"Right now," Keiro said before his son could go on any longer.

"Ok," Finn replied quickly before he turned and left the room and let out a long breath. He fought an urge to look over at Avery, but he could feel her gaze on him as he let the door shut behind him. He knew better than to outright disobey his parents, even if Attia's word tended to be adhered to a little stricter than Keiro's. Either way, he went to his uncle's office without making any stops along the way.

He sat at the desk when he got there, and willed his mind to travel anywhere other than to the forest. Of course, that was a lost cause. Everything he looked at reminded him of Avery or their encounter in the forest. The way she moaned when he kissed her neck. How her skin felt under his hands. How her hands explored his body. How their bodies felt pressed up together without the barrier of their clothing. He'd gotten so lost in thoughts of her that he'd not even noticed the sound of the door opening, and was jolted back to the present only when it shut. He peered up, startled, to see Finn, Claudia, Attia, and Keiro looking at him as they stood in front of the desk with some space between them all.

"You should've told me," Finn said simply as he stared down at his nephew, then up to Attia. She avoided his gaze as she kept her eyes on her son. Perhaps she should have told Finn about the object of her son's desires, but it was too late for that.

"Tell you what?" little Finn replied sharply as he lifted his head up. "And why? So you can say the same thing to me that everyone else has. You can skip that by the way. I've pretty much got it memorized."

"That she's going to leave when her father gives up on marrying her off to John?"

"Yeah," little Finn snapped as he narrowed his eyes at his uncle, his voice loud and harsh. "That's the one. Don't forget she's a Princess and I'll only be High Duke by default because I'm the second oldest illegitimate child who likes Court."

The room went quiet as none of the four had anything to say to the young man seated at the King's desk. He apparently hadn't expected a response, since he buried his face in his hands, his elbows on the desk to hold himself up. "Are we done? I'm tired," he said without looking up at them. His voice had at least gone back to normal.

"Her father wants someone to run Mallery," Finn said suddenly and little Finn almost dropped his head to the desk top when he tried to look up.

"God, I hope you're not talking about me. Place sounds backwards as hell." Attia and Keiro laughed at their son's comment, but didn't say anything in response.

"Well, he wants John."

"Obviously," little Finn replied as he held his uncle's gaze. "Sorry he's unavailable?" he said as though uncertain what his uncle wanted to hear from him. "Did you see Victoria today?"

"No, of course not," he answered as he narrowed his eyes at the young man. "Why?"

"Nothing, just asking," little Finn answered. Even if Victoria was grating on his last nerves, he wouldn't out their engagement over their little spat that morning. "I think she's doing better with it all, that's all."

"Well, I imaged that much since Princess Avery seems otherwise distracted from John," Claudia said.

Little Finn narrowed his eyes at Claudia then Finn, before he let out a measured breath. "I don't think that's why," he said finally. They knew he was withholding information, but neither pressed for it. "Are we done yet?"

"Did you do anything…. hasty with her?" Finn asked and little Finn turned his gaze back to his uncle.

"Hasty? Is that what we're calling it?"

"Finn, come on," Attia said with a sigh and the young man groaned.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Does that mean there's something to talk about?" Claudia asked.

"What do you want? What color were her underwear, or where she likes me to have my hands?" little Finn replied sharply, having grown annoyed with the present conversation.

"Please, tell me you don't know those things," Finn said and the two stared at each other.

"Would it be better for me to lie or to not answer at all?"

"What if her father finds out, Finn?" King Finn berated, but his words were having little to no impact on the young man.

"Well, I'm not going to be first in line to let him know, so I won't be there for that. If any of you are offering up the information, maybe give me some heads up. Or at least don't let Victoria run her mouth tomorrow at the Council meeting."

"She hasn't come to one Council meeting, Finn," Claudia said and Finn let out a dry laugh.

"I think she'll show up tomorrow," he assured them, but gave no reason for his assumption.

"Should we arrange for a new guard for her?" Claudia asked.

"No!" Finn snapped as he looked to her with narrowed eyes. "What is wrong with all of you? Nobody can help themselves when reminding me that she leaving and then all you try to cut that time down even more. No, don't arrange for a new guard, or we'll ditch him and leave Court." His voice was heavy and his threat very much full as anybody would've expected from someone Attia and Keiro raised. Claudia assumed they'd taught Kyra, Chris, and Finn to never make hollow threats, seeing how seriously Finn's rolled off his tongue.

"We're not trying to make it difficult, Finn," Attia said, and he slowly turned to look at her. They stared at each other for a long moment before Finn's eyes narrowed and shifted to his father, then to his uncle and his aunt. His eyes returned to Attia, and it was painfully clear he trusted her word above the word of the other three in the room.

"What are you going to do?" Finn asked, his voice calm and collected for the first time.

"There's nothing we can do," King Finn answered. "King Logan doesn't… he-"

"He'll never agree to me, I know that, you don't have to step around my feelings. Nobody else is."

"You said she doesn't want to go back," Attia said, pulling her son's attention back to her. In fact, everyone's attention shifted to her at the revelation of that piece of information. "Did she say why, or are you the only reason?"

"She doesn't like it," Finn answered, ignoring the last part of his mother's comment.

"She grew up there. It can't be that bad," Keiro commented, but Finn's gaze didn't shift from Attia's.

"She said that after being here and being able to say things and be included in things, she doesn't want to go back. She'll just be married off and casted to the side, and she doesn't want that."

"Casted off, how?" Claudia asked and Finn finally turned away from Attia to look at Claudia.

Finn shrugged at first as he stared at her. "She'll be married off to some guy her father picks, who wants to be King, and he'll have a string of mistresses right in front of her just like her father."

"I thought they were happy," Claudia commented, sounding genuinely shocked at Finn's words.

"It's a show for you," Finn replied as he shifted his eyes to his uncle, then back to Claudia. "They're on their best behavior so you'll like them and marry John to her and then John gets stuck with all their backwards problems. Maybe if they didn't spend so much time having sex with all their mistresses they'd get something done every once and a while."

Keiro snorted at the commented, bringing a smile, albeit a brief one, to Finn's face.

"And besides, this is exactly what she's talking about," Finn continued as he stared at his uncle. "You're all stuck in that stupid Council meeting and you're clueless to what they're really like when all you had to do was listen to her. She's very willing to spill all their secrets. Maybe not to Victoria, but still."

"What kind of secrets?" Attia asked as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"What are you thinking?" King Finn asked, but Attia didn't even acknowledge him.

"What do you want to know?" Finn replied as he met his mother's stare.

"Well, who would take over, if for whatever reason Avery, or her husband, can't?"

"She has a slew of illegitimate siblings on her father's side, but the women can't inherit and the boys aren't legitimate, so it'll go to her cousins on her father's side. They're not exactly… I don't know… as progressive as we are in terms of how they like to treat women, even their own Princess cousin."

"What else did she say about them?" King Finn asked, suddenly as interested as Attia had been initially. Finn narrowed his eyes at his uncle, but proceeded anyway.

"Her father doesn't like them. They're his brother's kids, but their parents died in a battle when they young. They're ruthless and want the throne. That's why he's pushing for Avery to marry John. Nobody can revolt against a Prince on their throne. She didn't say anything about the political situation. I can't imagine anyone tells her very much, but I'd guess they're on the brink of civil war. Their King only has one daughter to show for his marriage and if she marries some Baron or a Duke or something, the cousins' forces might fight back. That's why he won't give up on marrying her to John."

"Her other siblings," Claudia pressed and Finn turned to her next. "Do they want the throne?"

"I don't know. He marries the girls off to high standing nobles and the boys get high ranking positions at Court or in the military. They're known as his kids, but they're not Princes or Princesses. I think they're just hanging out for the ride. They get the attention, the money, the marriages, and never have to worry about actually running the country."

"And did she say anything today?" King Finn asked and little Finn averted his eyes suddenly.

"No," he said as he cleared his throat. "We didn't do much talking today."

"You didn't talk at all?" Finn replied, obviously unconvinced. Little Finn looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

"She likes the waterfall in the forest, and thought the purple flowers were pretty. Is that helpful?"

"Is there anything else that she's mentioned about Mallery?" Claudia asked the question her husband had been able to formulate.

Finn paused as he thought back over all their conversations and tried to pick out anything specific she might've said. "She said once that her father had been really busy all the way up until they left. She said a lot of Dukes and Lords had shown up at Court and they didn't look happy, and she didn't know why. They're probably upset that he's not paying their allowances because his lands aren't producing crops from the weather. She said it was too hot this season for her flowers to grow properly, and they can't get any good produce at Court now matter how much they pay."

"He's got a lot riding on a marriage that isn't going to happen," Attia commented and King Finn nodded in agreement.

"But we can't do anything with this," Claudia said and Attia turned to her. "Their political problems aren't our problems."

"We can offer our support to his choice of whoever he wants on the throne, in exchange for leaving her behind when they leave," Attia said. Finn's face lit up suddenly as he stared at his mother in shock. He'd not believed she'd heard him at all when he all but begged her to find a way to let Avery stay, when in fact she'd heard him loud and clear.

"You can't be serious," Claudia said as she stared at Attia. The two women watched each other carefully as King Finn examined his nephew.

"That's what you want, isn't it?" he asked and Finn nodded slowly. "She may not want to go back there, but that's not the same as her staying here. And she wants to stay here and it's because of you."

"Does it matter why?" little Finn replied as he narrowed his eyes defensively.

"We can't do all of this to keep a Princess if the two of you are going to break up in two months," King Finn replied. Attia looked to her son at the comment, but he'd controlled his response fairly well. His eyes flashed and his entire body tensed, but he'd not responded instantly and said something regretful.

"I want her to stay. And we're not going to break up in two months. It's not like that," Finn finally said as he held his uncle's gaze.

"You're still young, Finn, and you don't-"

"Kyra is younger than me and she's married! To Chris! Who's the same age as me. And John and Victoria are-" Finn stopped himself before he could get carried away. His aunt and uncle narrowed their eyes at him, but he avoided the stares, knowing he shouldn't be the one to tell them about John's sudden proposal. "I am not Charlotte and Chase," he finally decided on saying rather than comparing himself to his sister and cousin. "At least not Chase."

"It's only been a couple weeks," Finn." Claudia said and Finn scoffed as he stood up and started towards the door.

"I'm going to bed," he announced as he passed between his mother and uncle and left the office. He went down the hallway and towards the rooms above Central Command, where his bedroom was. The Commander bedroom was large and circular, unlike most of the other bedroom at Court, because it'd been mistakenly built in the same fashion as the main room Central Command below it. The walls were stone bricks rather than sheet rock walls, but Finn liked the feel of the Commander bedroom.

He stripped and dressed in his night clothes, leaving John's shirt and his pants on the floor carelessly. He had half a mind to get into bed and toss and turn for a few hours before finding sleep, but he crossed the room and went into the closet. It wasn't stone brick like the rest of the room but rather painted sheetrock. His fingers felt along the back wall of the closet, reaching through all his hanging clothes, until he found the grove of the hidden doorway and pushed until it opened.

He pushed the false wall back into place after stepped through into the hidden pathway. The pathway went all through Court, providing a secret passage out of Court should they ever be attacked. Only Council and the royal family knew of the existence of the passageways, and they weren't to be used as carelessly as Finn was using them. He didn't have the pathways memorized, so it took him some time to find the right staircase that led into the east wing of Court, then he had to stop at a corner and remember how many doors down the hallway Avery's bedroom was. He definitely didn't want to step out into King Logan's bedroom by accident.

When he found Avery's room, he pressed his ear against the door to listen, but his ears couldn't discern any noise. Hoping there was no one in the room except Avery, Finn pressed on the door until it clicked and the door opened. He pulled it until there was enough room to peer through the crack and survey the room. The door opened in the far corner of Avery's room, and all he saw inside was her sleeping form on the bed. With a smile, he pulled further on the door until he could slip through it and step into the room.

He crossed the room to reach her bed before he reached out to touch her shoulder. When she rolled over suddenly, he covered her mouth with his hand so she wouldn't alert her night guards stationed outside the room. He motioned for her to stay quiet with a finger over his lips, and she nodded as she smiled at him brightly. She sat up on the bed before she put her arms around his neck and pressed their lips together.

"Come on," he whispered to her softly as he offered her his hand. She took it without question and threw back her covers as she got out of bed and willingly followed him to the other side of the room. They slipped into the passageway and Finn push it shut behind them before he led the way back to his room.


	28. Chapter 28

**Since I totally forgot to post yesterday and I like to post once a day, I decided to post twice today! I hope you enjoy it and as always feel free to let me know what you think!**

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It was still early in the morning, earlier than anybody would expect Avery to be awake or Finn to arrive to stand guard. The pair were awake however as they lay in Finn's bed after having spent the night together. They were on their sides facing one another, each smiling at the other, their hands intertwined between them. Her dark curls were fanned out across his pillow as he held his head up with his hand.

"I don't want morning to come yet," she admitted, her voice just barely a whisper as though she were afraid someone might overhear and discover them. Finn said nothing as he leaned over to kiss her again, unable to get enough of the feel of her lips. They had explored sex again that night, and as he promised her, it was better than the first time. That was part of why her smile had not yet left her once, but Finn knew it was more than that. She was genuinely happy, as happy as he'd ever seen her in the few weeks they'd spent together.

"I should take you back soon," he told her, regretting the words before he even said them. "Before someone notices."

"Nobody comes into my room in the morning except you," Avery answered. "Occasionally I have breakfast brought, but no one will just walk in."

"Still," Finn said. "We shouldn't risk you going missing," he added with a laugh, and Avery humored him as she laughed as well. She closed the space between them and curled up against his body, sighing when his arm wrapped around her shoulders to hold her there against him.

"I never thought that I would fall in love," she admitted suddenly and Finn turned his head to look down at her. All he could see was the back of her head, but he could feel her finger tips drawing a pattern on his chest. "I always thought I'd be married off to someone, and never really be given a chance for love. I never thought I was missing something, though, but I would have."

"I'm flattered," Finn replied and Avery laughed as she lifted herself up to kiss him. He returned the kiss and deepened it when he felt her start to pull away from him. At his insistence, she kept kissing him, and moaned into his mouth when he rolled them over. He occupied the space above her, letting some of his weight rest on her after she'd told him she liked the feel of his body against his like that. Her arms tightened around his neck as though she were terrified he might pull away too soon, and he just stayed there kissing her without even a thought to pull away ever.

"I don't want this to end," she mumbled into his mouth.

"Me either," he answered as he tried to kiss her through his words. "Never. I don't want to let you go."

"Don't," she replied, her voice desperate and breathless. The tone of her voice made his chest ache but he tried to keep kissing her as though it would go away that way. He never wanted to hear her that desperate for anything. He'd give her anything she wanted long before she needed to be that desperate for it.

He tangled one hand in her hair, having already decided he liked it best down and messy and uncombed rather than fixed the way it was in the morning when he first saw her. She felt more real to him that way, and less put together. Less like a Princess, he guessed, but he'd never dreamed of saying those words aloud. It wasn't that he didn't like Princesses, but he didn't want her to think her status took away anything from her. To him, she was perfect the way she was, title and all.

She moaned when his hand moved out of her hair and trailed down her side. His fingers slipped under the hem of her nightshirt and spread across her bare stomach and side. He'd started to work her nightshirt up her body before two quick knocks landed on his bedroom door.

"Finn, we need to talk about-" Attia started as she opened the door, then stopped when she realized what she'd walked in on. King Finn was right behind her, the pair of them averting their eyes as Finn scrambled to cover Avery with his blanket, even if she was still wearing her clothes to sleep in. Her cheeks flared instantly as she turned to Finn then averted her gaze away. "It's time to take her back before someone notices, Finn," Attia said as she cleared her throat.

"Why are you in my room so early?" Finn questioned as he reached over the side of the bed to find shorts to wear over his underwear. He crossed the room to grab his robe before he offered it to Avery. It was too big for her, but she was too modest to appear in front of Finn's mother and uncle in her revealing sleepwear, especially after they'd just found her in his bed.

"We need to talk before the Council meeting today," Attia said as she turned around. She nudged King Finn's arm, telling him to turn back as well. By then, Avery was seated on the edge of Finn's bed while Finn stood beside her, his hand clutched in hers.

"Why?" Finn replied, obviously uninterested given what he could've done if they hadn't let themselves into his room. "You're just going to run him in circles about John. What do you need me for? I'm just the babysitter."

"Hey," Avery said and he looked down at her.

"Sorry," he said before he met Attia's gaze. She rose an eyebrow at him, and he hardened his face knowing exactly what she was thinking about a girl who could make him act in that manner.

"We needed to talk to you about what exactly it is you want," Attia said as she sat on a chair in the bedroom while King Finn leaned against the wall next to her. "So we know what to do for you. We can't just go in there and decide on the spot."

"Don't you always do that?" Finn questioned.

"Not about a Princess," King Finn answered and Finn sighed as he rolled his shoulders.

"I told you what I wanted," Finn replied as he met their gazes again. "I want her to stay."

"You said that," Attia agreed as she nodded. "But we're going to need a stronger reason than you like her."

"I love her," Finn replied sharply.

"I don't think love will convince her father," Attia answered and Finn groaned as he sat down on the edge of the bed next to Avery. He turned to her and they looked at each other, Avery's lips pulling up in a sweet encouraging smile as she tightened her squeeze on his fingers for a moment. "Look, while you two have been enjoying yourselves all night, I've been up all night with your father, Finn, and Claudia and we're trying Finn, but we need your help."

"You've been discussing this all night, and you came up with nothing?" Finn repeated, obviously in disbelief.

"We came up with one thing," King Finn said, pulling the young couple's attention to him. "It's a little extreme, and we didn't think you would go for it."

"What is it?" Finn asked.

"We can spin something at him. Make it sound better than it'll be, and he'll probably get upset about it in a couple years, but by then there won't be much he can do about it," Attia started. "We were thinking that if we provided a husband for Avery from here, not John though, then Avery is otherwise removed from the succession in Mallery, and in addition to her marriage solidifying our alliance with Mallery, we'll provide support to whom he chooses to install on the throne as his successor, even if it's not her cousin. Military, political, economical support. Anything they need. It'll be expensive, but there's a chance it'll work in getting her to stay here."

"Marry who?" Finn questioned, feeling anger rise up within him, though it had no real target.

"Marry you," Attia answered. "Who else? You're the second most import man we've got. You're third in line for the throne as it stands. You'll be Commander of the Royal Guard, and High Duke, a position preceded only by Kings and Princes. Why would we risk a marriage with a Princess on anyone of a lower status?" Attia questioned as though the choice had been completely political in nature.

Finn stared at his mother for a moment as he tried to work through everything she'd said to him in such a short amount of time. "You did point out that Kyra is already married, so we assumed that meant you weren't opposed to being married yourself," King Finn put in. "Of course, we aren't suggesting this as a sham marriage, but a real one that if… unsuccessful will… at the very least look ridiculous. Of course, if you'd decided you didn't want to be together anymore, we'd just fix it and move on anyway. It's not as though any of us can argue with your mother when she's already decided to keep Avery here."

Attia momentarily glared up at Finn before she turned her gaze back to her son and straightened out her face. "And you've only known each other for a few weeks, which I don't mean to lessen any of your feelings, but isn't a very long time," she added, ignoring Finn's last comments.

"How long before you knew you wanted to be with Dad?" Finn asked her and Attia drew in a breath as she swallowed.

"Well, I knew I was more or less stuck with him when I got pregnant with you," Attia answered and Finn held back his reaction as he forced his gaze up to his uncle.

"And you?" he asked. Attia looked up at King Finn as well, knowing his answer. Even if Attia liked Claudia now, it annoyed her to no end how soon Finn claimed he knew he wanted to be with her.

"The first time I saw her I knew I wanted to be with her," Finn answered and Attia was unable to stop her eyes from rolling. "And, I don't meant that literally be with her on the Outside," he added before Attia could make any comment. "I knew she was something when I saw her the first time."

"So really, our couple of weeks is a lot longer than a few seconds," little Finn replied.

"And how well did it go when you were actually with her in person, Finn?" Attia asked.

"He won't be taking over a country, Attia, nor will he be coming back from the dead, so I don't think that is applicable."

"I would marry you," Avery said suddenly, pulling all eyes to her instantly.

"What?" Finn replied as he stared at her in shock. "You- You would just marry me like that?"

"Yes," Avery answered as she stared at him. She swallowed, suddenly feeling Attia and King Finn's presence in the room, but she forced herself to continue. "I- I would've married John if I had to and he'd only had one lunch with me. And if I have to go back to Mallery, my father will just pick someone else for me to marry. Probably some older man who I've never met, and I'd have to marry him, so…" she paused as she held Finn's gaze. She'd even reached up to push the hairs in his face back. Her fingertips lingered on his cheek and jaw line before she completely retrieved her fingers. "So, why wouldn't I marry you? I love you, Finn. I really do, and I don't want to leave here. I don't want to leave you. If you think it's too soon-"

"No," Finn answered before she could continue. Her face lit up again, and Finn couldn't help but smile at her, feeling that surge of pure happiness spread through him at the idea that he was the one who'd made her light up like that. "If you'll marry me, then I'll marry you."

The two were oblivious to Attia and Finn, who stared at each other before they turned back to watch the scene. By then, Avery had wrapped her arms around little Finn's neck, her chin on his shoulder, his arms around her as well as he struggled to keep them both upright on the bed. When Attia cleared her throat, Avery slowly retrieved her arms from Finn's neck, but she dropped one hand into his as though she were unwilling to release him entirely. "Take her back to her room, Finn, then pick her up when you're scheduled for guard duty, and bring her to the Council meeting hall," Attia instructed and Finn nodded along.

"Ok," he said without argument as he stood up and turned to Avery. She stood beside him and started to follow him into his closet.

"And Finn," Attia called before he could open the hidden door. He turned back and peered at his mother and uncle over Avery's head. "Those passages aren't to be used to alleviate your loneliness. They are only a safety precaution."

"Yes," Finn replied as he nodded at her, trying to fight off his embarrassment of being scolded by his mother in front of Avery. Of course, she didn't really notice or pay it any mind anyway, but that didn't stop him. He pushed on the hidden door before he reached behind him for Avery and led her through the doorway. Attia and Finn had already turned to leave the bedroom through the proper door, the two of them walked through Central Command and into the rest of Court.

"What do you think?" Finn asked her when they'd gotten a ways away from Central Command. They weren't really too concerned with anyone overhearing them, but Finn could tell Attia was still working through a few details of their plan.

It was still so early in the morning that the hallways they walked were empty save for a few maids of servants called to work that morning. They all moved to the side of the hallways and corridors immediately to let the King and High Duchess pass.

"I don't know," Attia finally admitted. Her gaze was fixed in front of her as he mind reeled. Her son had been right about one thing at least. The four of them hadn't been up all night and come up with only one plan. However, as extreme as the plan they'd pitched to him was, their second was even more extreme. "What are the chances he'll really go for his daughter reduced to High Duchess when she's set to be Queen?"

"He doesn't care for her all that much, Attia. You know that. I know that. She's just a pawn to him, and honestly, she'd be of use to us at some point, I'm sure. I mean, having a Princess around has got be useful for something right?"

"We don't need her, Finn," Attia answered and Finn nodded. "He just wants her."

"And you've already decided to give him what he wants, so whether or not we need her is irrelevant," Finn replied. He was right and Attia knew that. "But I don't think King Logan will buy that we want her for love. We'll have to have a reason to tell him, and if we don't have one, I'm afraid he'll think we're trying to do something behind his back."

"What? Like install her on their throne with our army to support her? He already wanted John to take over Mallery."

"I don't know. He doesn't strike me as entirely reasonable."

"What if we just distract him?" she replied as she turned up to look at Finn briefly. "Offer him support of whoever he wants to install as King, give him a lot of shiny things as a trade off for his daughter. Maybe he won't notice."

"His advisors will."

"We can distract them, too, then," Attia replied and Finn rose an eyebrow at her.

"How?"

"I don't know. Does Charlotte have a date tonight?"

"Oh, Attia," Finn replied as he shook his head and sighed.

"What? She's a pretty girl, Finn, and she can talk them in circles and made their heads spin. She's better at politics than she thinks."

Finn only laughed as he stared down at Attia. "I can't believe you're willing to reduce my daughter to a pretty distraction."

"You and Keiro were always pretty quick to make into a pretty distraction," she replied and Finn laughed again. "She's just got age on me, anyway."

"Yeah, I bet," Finn answered as they reached the door to his office and he opened the door for her. Claudia and Keiro looked up at the two as they came into the room, neither sure exactly what Finn and Attia were laughing over.

"How'd it go?" Keiro asked, and the two turned to him.

"He all but proposed to her on the spot," Finn answered as he walked passed Keiro to reach his desk, where Claudia was seated. Keiro eyed Attia, somewhat in disbelief at Finn's answer, but when Attia nodded he nodded as well.

"What is it with that girl?" Keiro asked and Attia shrugged as she shook her head.

"No idea, but she's got him threatening international peace over her."

"Is love so foreign a concept to the two of you, that you can't believe he's in love with her?" Claudia questioned and Keiro and Attia turned to her with narrowed eyes.

"After all these years, you want to ask something like that?" Finn asked in her ear as he rifled through his desk, paying only half his attention to the conversation. Only with half his attention, he knew exactly how ridiculous Claudia's question sounded to his two oldest friends.

"Love is a great concept," Attia replied as she held Claudia's gaze. "It's not exactly practical in everyday life."

"And yet you're wearing a wedding ring," Claudia pointed out.

"And how long did it take to get there?" Attia replied and the two women laughed as Keiro rolled his eyes and Finn focused on retrieving his documents from his file folders.

"And life would've been easier then, if you'd never gotten together?" Claudia questioned.

"Yes," Finn, Attia, and Keiro answered at once, leaving Claudia staring between them dumbfounded.

"It's a silly question," Finn said in her ear before he kissed her cheek. "All their fights are sexual tension, so if they'd never had sex they probably wouldn't fight so much. Remember those two months they weren't together? Never had more peaceful time with them around."

"Thanks, Finn," Attia said sarcastically and he nodded at her with a mocking smile.


	29. Chapter 29

**I'm glad you're all still enjoying this so far :) As Always, thanks for your comments and support, and always feel free to leave more!**

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Finn, Attia, and Claudia were first to arrive in the Council meeting hall, given they were already awake. Each carried a cup of coffee, hoping the liquid caffeine would keep them going long enough, especially since the negotiations that day would become real opposed to all the pretending they'd been doing about a marriage between John and Avery. The three sat at the table quietly as they drank their coffee, looking up only when John and Victoria walked into the room with a few other Council members. The Council members went to the far side of the room as they usually did but Victoria lingered with John as he moved to his seat next to his mother.

"Victoria," Finn said, half surprised, until he recalled that little Finn had told them she'd come. "What brings you out of John's room all of sudden?"

"Nothing," she answered, her voice higher than usual as she sat in the seat next to John. "Does anybody sit here?"

"No," Claudia replied as she narrowed her eyes at the girl.

"Have I missed anything lately?" she asked as she turned to Claudia, then to Finn, and finally Attia. John just stared forward as he stayed out of the interaction between Victoria and his parents.

"Can I see your hand, Victoria?" Claudia asked suddenly. Victoria swallowed and nodded as she handed over her left hand, which Claudia motioned away. "Your other hand, Lady Victoria."

"Oh," Victoria said, her lips pulling up into a wide smile as she leaned over John to hold out her right hand. Claudia took Victoria's hand as she stared down at the sparkling diamond ring on her ring finger. Finn rose an eyebrow as he stared at the ring then peered up at Victoria, then John.

"Too bad it's not on your other hand," Finn commented, though he wasn't fooled by Victoria's ruse.

"Where do you think it's supposed to be?" Victoria answered and Claudia laughed as she released Victoria's hand. "Somebody wouldn't let me leave the room with it on properly."

"What are we supposed to be pretending?" John asked her as he turned to meet her gaze.

"I could just pretend I'm marrying someone else," Victoria said as she started to pull the ring off her right hand, but John stopped her with his hand over hers.

"Don't," he told her simply. She laughed at him and dared to press a kiss to his cheek as she pushed the ring back down her fingers. "And hold it together for the meeting. You look like a-"

"A what?" she questioned before he could finish.

"You look great," John answered, aware she'd stopped him for his own good. Victoria nodded at his answered as she turned to look at Attia, who'd only laughed as she smiled at the pair. "So how much longer do we have of this?" he asked as he turned to his parents.

"Not that long after today, hopefully," Finn answered. "You chose a good day, Victoria, to come back."

"Why's that?" Victoria asked as she turned to Finn as well. Before he could answer, the rest of council filed into the room followed by King Logan, Queen Abigail, and their advisors and guards. After they took their seats, Attia had the two seats beside her cleared for Finn and Avery when they stepped into the room next and sat down, Finn beside his mother, Avery next to him.

Victoria and John stared across the table at Finn and Avery, neither sure what exactly had happened that would result in the two of them attending a Council meeting. King Logan and Queen Abigail were just as surprised as they looked to their daughter then to King Finn for an explanation.

"John isn't going to marry Avery," Finn announced simply as he stared across the table at King Logan. "We've come up with something else to solidify our alliance, if you'll hear it."

John turned his father in shock, but Finn, Claudia, and Attia stared across at the royals on the other side of the table. King Logan's eyes narrowed as he glanced over at his daughter, then at Attia before he met Finn's gaze once more. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"A marriage of another kind," Finn answered, careful to keep his voice even and his words diplomatic. "Marrying her to someone else."

"Who?" King Logan demanded, ignoring the whispers of his advisors behind him. "And for what reason?"

"We'd like to marry her to someone here to keep our alliance, but we don't want her on the throne immediately. Instead, we'll marry her to who's second in line for the throne as of this morning," Finn answered. He could feel King Logan getting drawn in by the appeal. Of course, he hadn't actually asked Attia if she was willing to remove herself from the line of succession, but he assumed she'd have no real objection to it. "She'll stay Princess of Mallery, become High Duchess in her time, and perhaps even Queen if it came to it that John has no successors. And he's not married, so at the present it's a possibility."

"And in addition, we'll offer you military, political, and economical support for whoever you choose as your successor in Mallery," Attia added, pulling King Logan's gaze to her. "We don't care who you want on your throne, but we'll support them in exchange for your daughter's marriage here."

The room went silent. The Council meeting had taken a turn it'd never had before, and nobody was sure what to say. The idea of Princess Avery marrying someone else hadn't occurred to anybody, and the idea was so new that nobody had an opinion on it just yet. King Logan put up his hand to stop his advisors from whispering in his ear, and then stared across the room at Finn as though measuring up the other King. Eventually, King Logan looked to Attia, then finally to little Finn. His eyes narrowed at the young man, but he held his ground and endured the stare. He tried not to let the feel of Avery's hand on his leg beneath the table affect him, and he hoped nobody could hear his heart beating too fast against his chest.

"King Logan?" Finn called from the end of the table and pulled the other's King's attention to him. "Have you any thoughts on it?"

"No," King Logan answered harshly. "She's a Princess, not a Duchess, and I won't have you reducing her that way."

"We're the one's reducing her?" Attia questioned and King Logan's gaze shifted then to her. "You're the one that traveled all this way to trade her like cattle."

"Attia!" Finn yelled as King Logan stood up, his anger having gotten the best of him.

"She's my daughter, and she will not be compared to cattle! Nor will she marry your bastard son!"

"Get the hell out of Court, then," Attia told him sharply. "She's not marring John, that's already been determined. She can marry him, or you can take her back and explain to all of your barons and dukes and lords why you've got one lousy unmarried daughter to inherit your throne," Attia told him sharply, ignoring the looks she was getting from all angles of the room. While everyone thought her comments had ruined the chance of making an agreement, King Logan actually paused as he thought through Attia's comment.

"We're eliminating her as your problem in your succession," Attia rephrased, her voice still hard and cold. "You don't have to give your throne to your nephews if you don't want to."

"How do you know about them?" King Logan demanded and Attia scoffed as she rolled her eyes.

"You think we don't have spies?" Attia asked, the half lie slipping off her tongue easily. "Don't you remember our little problem last time you were here? We didn't want to accidently kill anymore of your stupid soldiers, so we were just making sure they were waiting their turn to step into our lands."

King Logan's face flashed instantly, but he controlled his response when he heard whatever his advisor had to say in his ear. He drew in a deep breath before he plopped back down in his chair, his gaze cold and focused solely on Attia. "What about my people?"

"Not our problem," Attia answered. "We'll protect your successor but we won't run any political campaigns for them."

"Even if I chose one my sons?" King Logan asked as he narrowed his eyes briefly at Attia.

"Oh, my son is a bastard but yours can inherit a throne?" Attia snapped back at him. He didn't appreciate the comment, but he said nothing in response to it directly.

"Well so can yours apparently," King Logan replied and Attia smirked at the small victory. "Why do you want her?"

"She's noble," Attia answered easily as though that question hadn't been the one she and Finn had struggled to think of an answer to previously. "Why would I have my son marry anything less than the best?"

"So this is all your doing?"

"Would it offend you if it was?" Attia asked.

"Will you turn my daughter into some bitter and sarcastic bitch like you?"

"Would you even care?"

King Logan stood up again and Attia matched the movement. She held his gaze until he finally turned away and stormed out of the room. His advisors struggled to keep pace with him while his guards were able to quite easily. Queen Abigail lingered at the table, her guards staying in the room with her as Attia sat back down and turned slowly to Finn and Claudia who stared at her.

"We weren't going to get anywhere going your way," Attia said defensively and Finn rolled his eyes as he sighed. "Besides, he's just mad that I talked to him. We'll come around."

"And when he doesn't?" Finn asked but Attia ignored the comment. The two turned forward when they heard the sound of Queen Abigail's chair scraping the floor when she pushed it back as she stood. She met each of their gazes before she turned to look at her daughter, who was understandably a bit overwhelmed after the meeting.

"I know what you're doing, Lady Attia," Queen Abigail said as she shifted her eyes to little Finn and smiled at him before she met Attia's gaze once more. "I wish it could've been me to do such a thing for my own daughter," she said rather vaguely before she turned and left the room, her guards following behind her.

"What do we do, Attia?" King Finn asked her as she stood up. She turned down to look at him, but she said nothing. She met Claudia's gaze for a moment, then her son's before she started towards the door.

"Don't do anything. Just stall them," Attia answered before she left the room and disappear around the corner.

"Stall until when?" Finn called after her but she was already gone and if she heard, she didn't answer. Finn groaned as he leaned back in his chair. Claudia touched his shoulder before she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "Is Council still here?" he asked, too lazy to turn around and check himself.

"Yes," Claudia answered, and Finn nodded as he lifted his hand and motioned them over to the table.

"Good, we'll vote on Victoria now."

"Vote?" Victoria repeated, and Finn turned his gaze to her.

"You do have to have Council's approval, you know," he told her just as all of Council finished filling in all the seats. Turning towards the rest of the table, including little Finn and Avery, but mostly ignoring them, he felt Claudia slip her hand into his. "Votes in favor of Victoria marrying John," he said simply, deciding to skip over all the formalities. Many of the Council members looked over at John and Victoria with wide congratulatory smiles as Victoria moved her ring over from her right hand to her left. Slowly, all hands around the table went up, including little Finn, who wasn't officially part of Council but still granted a seat at the table whenever he pleased. "Perfect," Finn said as he stood up and walked around the table to John. "Congratulations," he said as John stood up and accepted the hug from his father.

Claudia stood as well and hugged Victoria, the two admiring the ring before Claudia hugged John as well. Victoria all but threw her arms around Finn in her excitement, and he laughed as he hugged her. He'd known for some time John had intentions to marry her, but it was still exciting nonetheless after it had become official. After Claudia pulled away from her son to return to her husband's side, Victoria put her arms around John's neck and hugged him tightly.

"You could've waited, you know," Finn commented as Victoria released John's neck and the two of them turned back to him. He was obviously thrilled at their news. "Until all of this other stuff blew over."

"I was planning on that," John replied as he stared at his father. "She found it and it's not like I could take it back from her and hide it again."

"You had a shitty hiding spot, John," Victoria said and John rolled his eyes as he turned down to her.

"It was a perfectly fine hiding spot, if you hadn't gone riffling through my stuff because you basically moved in," he replied sharply and Victoria held his gaze, her eyes narrowed. Both, however, were smiling and unable to hide it even during their pretend half-fights.

"I wasn't rifling," Victoria said defensively. And if you wanted to wait for all this to blow over, you should've waited to buy it."

"I've had the damn thing since-" John started then stopped himself. Victoria rose her eyebrow at him as she took a half step towards him.

"Since when?"

"Since I bought it," John answered, earning muffled snickers from around the room. The scene wasn't exactly new between John and Victoria. She could smell a cover-up from miles away and the Prince's were any different.

"Bought it when?" Victoria asked.

"Tread carefully, John," little Finn called out from the other side of the room. Victoria's gaze shifted to him but he just stared at her. "That look isn't getting anything out of me. I'm not having sex with you." Victoria rolled her eyes as she turned her attention back to John.

"How long have you had the ring?"

"I don't know," John said with a shrug. "Like… six…"

"Weeks?" Victoria pressed, in disbelief.

"Months," John answered softly.

"Months?"Victoria repeated as she started at him. "We could be married right now, John, if you'd asked me six months ago. And none of this Princess stuff would've happened."

"But then Finn wouldn't be so happy," John said as he motioned to Finn behind him without actually looking. "So, you know, sometimes you have to sacrifice your own happiness for him."

Victoria stared at John, her lips pulling up in a smile at his cover up. She let out a scoff of a laugh before she hugged him again and let him even pull her feet of the ground in his embrace. "I want the wedding to be blue and white."

"Ok," John answered as he laughed and pressed kisses to her forehead and cheeks. "Whatever you want," he told her as they separated and started to walk out of the Council meeting hall without looking at anybody else.

"And lilies," she said as she peered up at him.

"We'll have them shipped in," John replied as he pulled open the door and let Victoria walk out under his arm. In the hallway, she spun around to face him again.

"And you and Finn and Chase and Chris will all where the same style jacket with your ties blue and your shirts white," she explained and John only nodded along as he slipped his arm around her shoulders and walked with her down the hallway.

"Alright," Finn said with a heavy sigh as he turned his head to Princess Avery and his nephew. "You might want to clear out of here for a while, but don't go too far. I have to go entertain her father until your mother finishes whatever she's working on."

"You know what it is, don't you?" little Finn replied as he stood up and held his namesake's gaze. "You know what she's going to do." Finn and Claudia looked at him, but neither said anything as they started towards the door and left without providing him an answer.


	30. Chapter 30

Finn and Avery were walking the grounds of Court, neither saying anything. Finn's eyes were darting around near constantly, his nerves starting to get the best of him now that he knew his mother was plotting something. In the distance near the training grounds, he caught sight of Attia, Keiro, and Mason chatting off to the side of one of the low fences. When Mason noticed Finn watching them, he turned and guided Attia with him by putting his hand on the small of her back.

"Don't worry about it so much, Finn," Avery said beside him, pulling his attention to her. She was looking up at him, her face soft, her eyes clear. "I'm sure they know what they're doing."

"Yeah, but I don't like being kept out," Finn answered as he took a deep breath and forced himself to turn his back to the three whispering to each other in the distance. Avery kept pace as she walked beside him, casting glances up at him every so often. "It involves us directly and they still won't say anything. How does that not bother you?"

"Well, my father didn't exactly ask me how I felt about marrying John before we came here," Attia replied and Finn reminded himself that some things were worse than his current situation. He just nodded at her reply as they continued to walk towards one of the nearby courtyards.

"This is where Kyra and Chris got married," he commented randomly when he recognized the fountain. Avery looked up at him, eyes narrowed in confusion. "Before the wedding inside, I mean. She wanted her wedding out here originally, but then when you and your parents came, my uncle had to make all these changes to it because of security and all the extra people. So the night before the wedding, we all got up at three in the morning and the Royal Guard closed off the courtyard and we hung lights and she had the wedding she wanted here. Then in the morning, we just pretended like it was the wedding, but really it was out here."

When Finn looked back to Avery, she was smiling up at him brightly. The intensity of her gaze drew him into her, and he wanted to kiss her, but he held himself back. "I think that's romantic," she finally told him as she sat on one of the stone benches in the courtyard. Finn sat beside her and looked up to see Mason pointing to some of the men in training as he spoke to Keiro. "Finn, if I stay here, do you think it would be ok with your family?"

"What?" Finn asked as he looked at her in shock. After that kind of comment, she was suddenly far more deserving of attention than his parents and Mason in the distance. "Of course, Avery. They're the ones trying to get you to stay."

"No," Avery said as she shook her head. "I mean Charlotte, and Kyra, and Chris, and Chase. Even John and Victoria. Will they be ok with it? I don't want to force you to have to divide your time between me and them."

"Avery, you're over thinking things," he told her as he smiled at her. "Besides, you played cards with Charlotte and Chase. Not just anybody gets to play cards with them, you know. And Kyra likes everyone, and Chris likes everyone she likes. Victoria, I wouldn't worry about, even if she is marrying John. She and Charlotte may be close, but Charlotte wouldn't let her treat you the way she has recently if you were here permanently, and especially not if we're married, too. And John doesn't not like you. He just didn't spend time with you because of Victoria, but that's not an obstacle anymore."

Avery nodded slowly as she drew in a breath. He could tell she remained largely unconvinced, and he would've convinced her with a few well placed kisses, but he knew they weren't yet supposed to be enjoying such a relationship. Moreover, he didn't want to risk her father finding out that he treated her in any way he found unacceptable. So, Finn just smiled at her and hoped it was convincing enough to at least put her fears to momentary rest.

A loud sharp whistle pulled their attention up, and they found Attia nearing them, waving her arm to indicate they should follow her. They stood and walked towards Attia, who'd started toward Court. In the distance behind her, Mason and Keiro were still speaking to each other, and the idea made Finn a little nervous. He'd never known his father to get so involved in Court politics, and he hoped the reason of Keiro's involvement was just because it involved Finn. He didn't like the alternative that things were so serious and delicately put together that Attia, King Finn, and Claudia even needed Keiro in addition to Mason.

"Come on, keep up," Attia called as she paused at a corner. Finn and Avery caught up to her and kept with her brisk pace as she led them through Court and into the financial department. When they reached her office, Attia turned back and put her arm up to stop Finn from entering the office after Avery. "Wait outside," she told him simply, and Finn stared at her dumbfounded.

"What?" he asked in disbelief. "No. I want to know what you're doing."

"Wait outside," she repeated, completely unmoved by his response. "It'll only take a few minutes."

"I'm her guard. I'm not supposed to leave her for anything," Finn replied, and the corners of Attia's lips pulled up in a prideful smirk. He really was too much like her for his own good sometimes.

"Fine," Attia said. "Sweep the room and wait outside."

Finn narrowed his eyes at his mother, aware that she'd won the argument before it'd even began. He glanced at Avery to the side, who just offered him a reassuring smile. With a groan, he turned and stepped out into the hall, hating the sound of the door shutting behind him. Attia and Avery crossed to the far side of the office to her desk, where Attia motioned her to the chair behind the desk instead of the uncomfortable one in the front.

"My mother once told me that you achieve anything you put your mind to," Avery said as she looked up at Attia. The older woman looked to Avery in surprise, before she straightened out her face and drew in a breath.

"I wouldn't have guessed that your mother had very many nice things to say about me," Attia admitted, and Avery smiled at her suddenly.

"She's only ever said nice things about you," Avery replied. "She said that you're the type of woman she'd always aspired to be, but never had the courage to do it. She said that you were how she wanted to raise me to be, but she'd failed at that too."

"I can't imagine why you would want to be like me," Attia answered, an honest edge to her words that Avery had picked up on. "You father thinks I'm just bitter and sarcastic."

"I can imagine many reasons someone would want to be like you."

"Finn said you were the perpetual optimist," Attia commented as she reached into one of her drawers to retrieve a folder full of documents. "I think that's why he cares for you so much. It's a rare quality at Court."

"He adores you, you know," Avery said sweetly and Attia couldn't stop a glance in the young woman's direction. "He won't admit it, but I can tell. I think he thinks the same thing as my mother."

"Yeah? And what's that?" Attia asked, suddenly more interested in the conversation than she'd been a few moments ago.

"That you're a survivor," Avery said, her words solemn and serious, her smile bright, her eyes clear. "That no matter what happens, you'll always survive. You'll always get what you need, if not exactly in the way you wanted."

"You mother called me that?"

Avery only nodded as she held Attia's gaze. It was Attia who looked away first to pull out the top page of the small stack of documents in her folder. "I need to talk to you about something. Have you heard of abdication?"

"Yes," Avery answered softly as she nodded. "Is that what you want me to do?"

"I don't want anything. I'm just talking to you about something," Attia replied. She pushed the document to the center of the desk in front of Avery and let the young woman look over it.

"What does this say?"

"If you sign this paper, you give up your title as Princess of Mallery. You resign from the Mallery royal family in every way. You're pulled out of your father's succession. You will be, in our eyes here in the Realm, not of royal descent," Attia explained, trying to keep her words simple yet serious enough to convey the real weight behind the documents. She slid it over to the side before she pulled the next one out of the folder and set it in front of her. "This one says that by signing it, you give up your citizenship in Mallery and your loyalties to the nation and to the monarch." She pulled the last document out and pushed it up next to the center one, so the three were in a line against the edge of the desk facing Avery. "This last one is an official petition for citizenship in the Realm. This means you pledge all allegiance to King Giles, Queen Claudia, and any descent they have who occupies the throne, as well as any other monarch that may take the throne in the future."

Avery remained quiet as she stared down at the three documents in front of her. She knew they were serious documents that if signed with her name would carry a great amount of weight, and yet she felt very little as she looked at them.

"And then I could marry Finn?" she asked softly as she lifted her head up to look at Attia. The older woman was in name High Duchess. She did some work for the King and was on Council, but in the grand scheme of how Court looks from the outside, Attia didn't appear to be very important. Avery, however, trusted her above all the others. She trusted Attia blindly because Finn had said she would do anything it took. Because she was Finn's mother and loved him best. Because even her own mother looked up to her. If it had been Claudia pushing those documents around the desk, Avery wouldn't have seriously considered signing them.

"Well, with these documents, marrying him won't be necessary for you to stay here," Attia explained. "The marriage was one way we'd thought of to give you a legitimate excuse to stay. These are your reason now, not a marriage."

"I want to marry him," Avery answered and Attia smiled at her. She'd not wanted emotions to dictate their discussion, but with Avery saying such sentimental things, Attia was having a hard time keeping reason in the forefront of her mind.

"You will be free to do that any time you both are ready," Attia answered diplomatically. "Do you understand what these mean, Avery?" she asked as she drew attention back to the documents. "Can I call you 'Avery'?"

"Of course," she answered with half laugh and a smile as though Attia' question was ridiculous.

"By signing these, you give Finn, the King I mean, permission to protect you by any means necessary. As a citizen of the Realm, the Royal Guard is obligated to provide protection. And if someone were to… forcibly move a citizen of the Realm across the borders, the Royal Guard has every reason to cross those borders to retrieve our citizen."

"My father, you mean. I'm giving your King permission to keep my father from taking me back to Mallery."

"Yes," Attia answered with a nod. "But I want you to understand that by signing these, he may… he might disown you, he might not allow you to go back and leave again. There's no telling how he'll respond, but since we've had to go this far at all, I don't believe that he'll be very accepting of your decision."

"I won't see my mother again, will I?"

Attia paused as she considered any one of her diplomatic ways to lessen the blow, but she decided that Avery deserved the truth. She'd never been asked what she wanted for her future once in her life, and now that she had a choice, Attia was going to present it to her as honestly as possible. "No, Avery, probably not."

Attia pretended not to see the tears starting to gather in the corner of Avery's eyes. After a few blinks, however, the Princess managed to make them disappear as though they'd not been there at all. "But I'll be here," she said as though she needed the extra reassurances. "Married to Finn."

"Yes," Attia answered with a nod. "You'll be here, and I don't think he's changing his mind about marrying you anytime soon."

"What if my father just… doesn't allow it?" she asked, obviously concerned that she could sign those documents, suffer the consequences of them in Mallery, and not even get the life she wanted in the first place.

"You sign these papers, Avery, and I guarantee that the King will let nothing happen to you," Attia answered, her words hard and serious. She believed her bold statement, and Avery smiled when she believed it as well. "But I really want you to think about this before you sign these, ok?"

"There's nothing else to think about," Avery replied.

"You've been here for only a few weeks," Attia answered. "You've known Finn for only a few weeks."

"It doesn't matter how long," Avery answered. "I can go back to Mallery because it'd only been a few weeks and wonder why might've happened if I'd just signed these pages and tried to be with him. Or I can sign them and stay here, and if it doesn't work in the end, then I could still stay here, couldn't I?"

"Of course," Attia told her. "We already talked about it. Me and the King, I mean. We would give you a property and a monthly allowance, and a set number of workers and you will be free to do anything you want and we will still protect you if that is what you want. And if you sign these and… I don't know, you and Finn decide you don't want to be together anymore, then you could try to reconcile with your parents, and we would take you back to Mallery whenever you wanted."

"Then why not sign them?" Avery asked. Attia just stared at her, amazed at how optimistic she could be, even though Finn had told her that much already. She just drew in a breath as she nodded slowly and retrieved a pen from her desk drawer. After handing it over, she watched as Avery carefully dragged the tip of the pen across the bottom of each page, her hand making neat slanted cursive letters and loops at the end of her name.

"Don't tell Finn until you're certain you're completely alone," Attia told her as she took the pen from Avery and gathered the three documents. "We don't want your father finding out before we can prepare. From this moment on, you're ours Mistress Avery."

Avery beamed at Attia as she stood up from the desk, her legs pushing the chair back. "I think I like the sound of that," she said as a little laugh escaped her lips. Attia couldn't help a smile in return, and even wrapped one arm around her when Avery nearly launched herself at Attia. When they reached the office door, Avery pulled it open, and Finn came forward immediately, but Avery said nothing to him as she slipped passed him and left the room. Finn looked to his mother, who stepped out of the office and shut the door behind her before locking it.

"Well?" Finn questioned.

"Better keep up with your charge or Mason might fire you," Attia answered as she motioned to Avery, who'd already started down the hallway in the other direction. She then started walking away before Finn could press her for any more information.


	31. Chapter 31

**I hope every is still enjoying this so far! Thank you to b and Lotuslita for your continued support in this entire series. As always, feel free to leave your thoughts**

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At the next Council meeting, Attia was dramatically late, pulling nearly all eyes to her as she stepped into the room. She walked down one side of the table and sat down next to Finn before she leaned over to whisper in his ear. He nodded at what she told him before he directed his attention to King Logan and Queen Abigail seated on the other side of the long table.

"You must realize by now that I won't have my daughter marrying a Duke," King Logan said strongly. The corners of Attia's lips pulled up in a coy smile as she held her gaze forward. The folder she'd carried into the room was on the table top and Finn pulled it to him before he opened it to look down at the signed documents it held. John, seated on the other side of Claudia, eyed the folder for a moment but said nothing.

"Well, unfortunately what you want isn't really our concern anymore," Finn said as he looked up at the other King once more. Before King Logan responded, Finn lifted his arm in the air and motioned to the guard standing in the open doorway to let Avery into the room. She walked into the room, but avoided her parents' gazes as she crossed to the far side of the room and sat beside Attia rather than in the empty seat next to her mother.

"What I say goes with my daughter," King Logan declared, his temper beginning to flare.

"Not anymore," Finn responded as he started to pull the documents out of the folder and push them towards the center of the table. "She's abdicated from your royal succession on her will, given up loyalties and citizenship to Mallery, and applied for citizenship here in the Realm," Finn explained, pushing each document forward as they aligned with his words. When he finished, he raised his gaze to King Logan. "She's not yours to do with what you will anymore. She's ours, and she'll marry only if she wants to."

The room went into uproar immediately. Between King Logan's rants, his advisors' protests, and Council's debate, the entire room was louder than Attia cared for. Eventually, the room calmed on it's own, and all attention shifted to King Logan's advisor who stood up. "This is completely out of line," he accused as he stared at Finn with narrowed eyes. "Your own Council hasn't even signed off on it."

"Fine," Finn said as he lifted his arm and motioned for Council to come closer. "Votes in favor of granting Mistress Avery citizenship in the Realm and housing here at Court, so long as she wishes it?"

Attia and Claudia were first to raise their hands, followed by John and several other members of Council. Avery's eyes looked around, her smile widening with each hand that went up. When Victoria's went up as well, Avery's gaze lingered on her and Victoria offered her one nod before she averted her gaze elsewhere.

"Majority wins," Finn said victoriously as he stared across the table at King Logan and his advisor. "Congratulations, Mistress Avery, on becoming an official citizen of the Realm. That does automatically rescind your citizenship in Mallery. I do hope you'll not find your new lesser title offensive to you."

"No, I don't believe I will," Avery answered, sounding bolder than Attia could've hoped for. She turned to Attia briefly and felt encouraged by the smile Attia gave her before the older woman straightened out her face and put back her diplomatic expression.

"You cannot do this!" King Logan declared as he stood up again, his force pushing the entire table and shocking the entire room.

"We already did," Finn told him, remaining shockingly calm as was Attia. "You have three days to clear out of Court. As usual, my Commander will arrange to provide you and your wife protection to the border. You will not take Mistress Avery with you, and as a citizen of the Realm, we reserve the right to protect her against any threat and will do so if need be."

"Are you threatening me?" King Logan boomed as he leaned forward, his hand landing squarely on the table.

"If you threaten the well being of your daughter, I have no problem ordering my Royal Guard to protect her," Finn answered simply. After a moment, Attia stood up and Avery stood with her. The two were walking towards the door to leave the room, but King Logan suddenly moved in their path, his large hand moving towards Avery. He was too slow, however, for Attia's reaction. She pushed Avery back and forced herself between them, resulting in King Logan's hand grabbing her wrist. Had her instincts took into account that he was a King, she may not have done it, but her instincts were reflexive and she'd pulled her knife and held it up to his throat without thinking twice about it.

Every Mallery guard in the room went into protective mode as Mason stood quickly and came to Attia's side. He reached out to put his hand on her wrist before he slowly nudged Attia's arm down, knife and all. "She won't be held accountable for self defensive, you know," Finn said from the far side of the table, his expression straight as he stared at King Logan. "And she doesn't take well to other touching her."

"Come on, Avery," Attia said simply as she reached behind her for the young woman's arm without breaking eye contact with King Logan. Attia motioned for Avery to go around Mason so that he separated her from her father. Attia followed on her heels as the two left the room, Mason following right behind them. Little Finn was in the hallway right by the door and looked up immediately having heard the entire meeting. His eyes were wide with shock and full of hope, but Attia didn't give him time to savor it with Avery. Instead, she grabbed his arm and pulled to motion for him to follow behind her as well. Attia led the way down the hallway, Avery and Finn behind her, with Mason behind them.

"Is he going to try and take her back anyway?" Finn asked.

"I can't imagine why he wouldn't try," Attia answered without looking at them. She kept her gaze forward as she briskly continued down the hallway and around a corner. "You need to stay out of the east wing for now, Avery. I'm sure between Kyra, Charlotte, and Victoria, you can find something to wear until we get your father to leave. If not, Finn pay off one of the maids to get something in her size. Make sure it's one that won't talk."

"Will I not be able to say goodbye to my mother?" Avery asked and Attia paused finally before she turned back. She could say 'no' and make things easier and less complicated, but looking in the former Princess' eyes, Attia found it difficult to deny her. She was already giving up everything to stay in the Realm, to give her weeks old romance a fighting chance, and Attia didn't have the heart to deny her one last comfort.

"I'll see what I can do," Attia said vaguely before she turned and continued down the hallway.

"That means you'll see her," Finn translated. Attia couldn't help the smile on her face at Finn's faith in her, but nobody saw it.

"Mason, take them to Central Command," Attia said once they reached the end of area where the official offices were at Court. "I assume you don't mind sharing the room until we can come up with a more permanent solution," she commented, turning to Finn, then to Avery.

"I won't stay with Finn?" Avery asked.

"You can if you want, just not in his current room," Attia answered as Mason moved to start leading them the rest of the way. "It's much too small for two people, and you'd be the only woman for miles. It's not pretty in Central Command," Attia assured her before motioning for the two to follow after Mason, who'd already started down the rest of the hallway. Attia waited to watch them until they turned a corner before she turned back and started in the direction they'd come. The plan she'd laid out with Mason and Keiro seemed flawless, but all plans were flawless on paper.

Taking a deep breath, she watched as Royal Guardsmen started to file into all the hallways since Mason had given the command. Mason and King Finn had agreed with her that having as many Guards on duty around Court as possible might subdue any attempt to take Avery back on her father's part, but nothing was absolute. Attia knew that if the situation was reversed, no amount of guards could keep her from finding and retrieving her children. Of course, her children were far more than pawns to her. As she went back towards Finn's office, more and more guards appeared, some walking down the edges of hallways, others filing into different rooms. By the time she reached Finn's office, she'd seen no less than fifty guards, only in the small portion of Court she'd walked through. Mason had concentrated the majority of the guards in the east wing to keep constant tabs on King Logan, Queen Abigail, and their advisors in an attempt to stop them from plotting among themselves.

"You can't honestly believe they'll just leave without her," John said as Attia walked into the office. Several guards were lining the walls of the room, where John and Victoria were standing on one side of Finn's desk, Finn and Claudia on the other.

"That's why we've deployed every guard we have available, John," Finn answered, as though John's comment was about protection. John obviously didn't appreciate the indirect response, judging by the stare he sent his parents. "Don't worry," Finn said when John wouldn't dignify his first comment with a response. "We've got it covered."

"Got it covered?" Victoria repeated. "You just stole a Princess. I don't think that type of thing goes over very well."

"We offered them support for his bastard son," Attia said as she strode further into the room. John and Victoria turned to her briefly but their attention wasn't being pulled as much when Attia moved across the room to stand on the other side of Finn. "It really isn't our fault if he refused that offer."

"Really?" John asked sarcastically. "All of this because Finn has the hots for her?"

"Well, if you'd married her we wouldn't have a problem at all," Attia answered, and John's eyes narrowed at her.

"Except we'd have an heir to the throne that looks more like Finn than like me," he replied, his tone still bitter and sarcastic. Attia only stared at him, obviously not amused by his comment. "And besides," he continued sounding more serious and credible than before, "how do we know he won't go to war with us over her?"

"He's not going to waste resources getting her back," Attia told him simply. "He'll use whatever men he has here with him and this it. There's no way he'll send for more."

"You don't think his own daughter is important to him?" John questioned, and was answered by the stares he got from Attia, Finn, and Claudia.

"Makes you more appreciative that we care, doesn't it?" Finn asked and Attia smiled for a second before she turned her attention back to Finn. "Are most of the guards in place?"

"Should be by now," Attia answered with a nod. "Keiro is waiting in Central Command for Finn and Avery, and Mason should be coming back any time now. He shut down most of Court already before the meeting, so we'll be able to track Logan and Abigail until they leave."

"Ok," Finn said as he nodded at her.

"And Avery wants to see her mother one last time before they go," Attia added, and Finn's face dropped slightly as he stared at her.

"Fine," he said with a sigh. "I'm pretty sure you already have a plan for that, anyway."

"I need you to pretend to listen to Logan for a couple hours tomorrow," Attia replied. Finn obviously preferred not trying to sneak Queen Abigail around Court to see her daughter, but he wouldn't argue with Attia on the matter, so he just nodded in agreement to her request. "I'll take care of the rest."

In Central Command, Keiro waited in Mason's chair with his feet up on the desk the way he sat in Attia's office waiting for her. When Mason followed Finn and Avery into the room, he stared across at Keiro, annoyed at the man's feet on his desk, but stayed quiet on the matter. "Everything go well over there when you stole a Princess?" Keiro asked as he rose an eyebrow and eyed the three nearing him.

"As well as expected," Mason answered.

"So not at all, then?" Keiro replied as he lowered his feet to the ground and leaned forward.

"Just do what you're supposed to," Mason said as he remained in the doorway while Finn and Avery stepped further into the office. "I have to go back to Finn's office and get the rest of the Guards into place."

"Case we start a war inside?" Keiro asked, but Mason ignored the comment as he turned on his heel and left the doorway. Avery looked up at Finn, who turned to his father.

"What are you supposed to do?" Finn asked curiously, annoyed and yet not at all surprised that he'd been left completely out of the planning.

"Babysit," Keiro answered with a smug smirk across his face. "I'm supposed to make sure you don't get any dumb ideas that'll wreck your mother's plans. You're not to leave Central Command until she gives you the ok."

"What could I possibly do to screw it up?" Finn questioned, and Keiro shrugged.

"Oh, I don't know," he started as he leaned forward to put his elbows on the edge of Mason's desk. "Whisk a Princess off to the forest and make her fall in love with you when she's supposed to marry your cousin," he said sarcastically, and Finn narrowed his eyes at his father. Keiro smirked again before he laughed and leaned back in the chair. "She doesn't want you thinking you can run away from it all. We've set everything up to keep her safe here in Central Command, not anywhere you fancy yourself right at this moment."

"I wouldn't have run," Finn said defensively and Keiro narrowed his eyes at the young man. "Right away," he added and Keiro scoffed.

"Your mother can read your mind," Keiro told him as he rose an eyebrow."Besides, she's doing all this for you. Least you can do is sit around for a couple hours and not mess it all up." Finn did not appreciate the comment, but he said nothing as he held his father's gaze. "If you want to go up to your room, we can," Keiro said when Finn said nothing.

"And you?" Finn asked.

"I'll be inside the room with you to make sure you don't abuse our hidden passageways," Keiro answered. "Yes, your mother did tell me about that, too. She thinks it's not the first time you've smuggled a girl into your room, but I think it is."

"Why would you even have that conversation?" Finn asked with a sigh as he came to realize he wouldn't get rid of his father any time soon, no matter how desperately he wanted to be alone with Avery at the moment.

"I gave you credit, Finn," Keiro said as though it was in his defensive. "I said you'd never liked a girl before that you couldn't just wander around with openly, so you'd never had any need to smuggle them in like that until now. Except maybe that uh… chambermaid of yours. Her father wasn't very happy with you, but I don't think you liked her enough to risk it."

"If I promise not to run away with her, can we not have this conversation anymore?"

"Yes," Keiro answered with a nod as he stood up and smiled at his son, who found the smile mockingly even if Keiro hadn't meant it that way. He was just poking fun at his son for the sheer entertainment value of it. "We'll go up to your room. Here, I got you a deck of cards," he said as he reached into his back pocket to pull out a box of cards. "I hear you're quite the player," he said as he crossed the room and met Avery's gaze. She smiled at him as she turned and walked with him out of the room, leaving Finn to trail behind them.

"Finn taught me all of Charlotte and Chase's cheats," she admitted with a giggled and Keiro laughed and smiled as he looked over his shoulder. It was a meaningless gesture for Finn to teach her how to cheat at cards, but Keiro looked rather proud of his son, and Finn seemed to feel it as he smiled back genuinely. "They've apparently created a very extensive cheating system."

"They're sore losers," Keiro answered, surprising Finn at how easily he could hold conversation. Keiro wasn't the type for small talk, and Finn had always worried what Keiro would say to Avery, but as he treated her the way he'd always treated Victoria and Charlotte, Finn saw he'd worried over nothing. "You should ask them to play poker. They'll play three hands and give up."

"Are they that bad at it?" Avery laughed and Keiro nodded.

"When they kids, Attia used to give them two coins each to bet when we were teaching them how to gamble, and Charlotte and Chase were the first ones to figure out how to steal everyone else's coins."

Avery laughed at the story Finn hadn't even thought was worth retelling. The only thing he'd ever learned from it was to keep a firm grip on his money when they were playing cards. Avery, however, seemed to enjoy the story as she peered over her shoulder at Finn and smiled at him like he was the only one she could see for miles.


	32. Chapter 32

Keiro and Attia eventually made it to bed after Attia finished up making arrangements with King Finn and Keiro was relieved of his babysitting duties. They didn't leave Finn alone with Avery until Attia was confident that the two wouldn't be gone in the morning despite having two guards/babysitters standing just outside the room. For good measure, Attia had maintenance climb into the hidden passage and secure the door in Finn's closet shut from the other side just in case.

Keiro groaned as he fell back onto the bed and tried to stretch his shoulders. After she dressed and pulled her hair up, Attia climbed into bed beside him and rested her head on his chest, his arm falling down around her shoulders automatically. "You did good," Keiro said softly without turning his head towards her. "Again."

Attia laughed drily as she pushed herself up to meet his gaze. She rose an eyebrow at him, but didn't respond right away. Instead, she leaned into him for a kiss before she settled back down.

"With Avery, I mean, this time."

"She's definitely one of the more difficult requests I've had in a while," Attia admitted and Keiro actually laughed. "Not quite a little wedding in the middle of the night."

"You've never let them down before," Keiro told her as she further relaxed against him. His fingers on her shoulder were moving back and forth until his rough calloused fingertips pushed the strap of her nightshirt down her shoulder and left it there to hang suspended in the air. Attia felt the movement, but she said nothing and didn't move to push it back up. His fingers moved back to her bare shoulder, his fingers feeling especially rough against her smooth unmarked skin. It seemed years on the Outside could cure her of rough, bruised, battered, and scared skin, but his fingers remained as tough and hard as they'd always been before.

"I certainly don't intend on letting him down now," Attia finally said, though her response was late by more than just a few seconds. Not that any of their conversations were ever on the time schedule everyone else liked to keep. They did things the way the wanted, and if that meant a few long pauses between responses to savor the briefest of contact between his fingers and her shoulder, then so be it.

"This isn't over, yet is it?" he asked as he let his head fall back completely to his pillow. He shut his eyes and seemed to relax except his arm around her shoulder than still held her tightly.

"I have to get Queen Abigail to Avery tomorrow before they leave," Attia admitted as she turned her head up and put her shin on his chest to meet his eyes. Keiro took his time as he took in the meaning of her words. Eventually he stirred, opened his eyes, and lifted his head up to look at her. "She wants to say goodbye," Attia explained before Keiro could respond. She wasn't sure if Keiro would understand or not. Part of her was reminded of his cold streak to think such a gesture was too sentimental for practicalities. And the other part of her appealed to the part of Keiro that thrived on being a father—and a good one at that—to their children, and perhaps that part of him hoped his children would want to say goodbye to him some day should the need ever rise.

Keiro drew in a deep breath that expanded his chest and pushed Attia's chin further into the air. His fingers molded around the curve of her shoulder as he held her gaze, his eyes unwavering. "I assume you don't need me for that," he finally told her, and a soft smile appeared across Attia's face before it faded as quickly as it had come. "Otherwise you'd have already told me what I have to do."

"Finn will distract King Logan tomorrow with a pretend negotiation, and I will take Queen Abigail to Avery," Attia explained the most basic concept of her plan. With the right timing it should work the way she meant it to, but she knew correct timing wasn't always something she could rely on. Keiro only nodded as though there were no holes in her plan at all. Like the possibility that Logan's guards could refuse to leave his Queen's side for any reason. Like King Logan could outright refuse to see Finn for negotiations. Like King Logan and Queen Abigail could leave in the middle of the night without so much as pretending their daughter was anything more than a pawn in their chess game.

"Morgan left today," Keiro said suddenly. Attia's eyes flashed for a half second before they cleared up and her face went back to normal, more or less. He could feel the tension that had not completely melted away when her face softened. "With Lucas and her husband," he added, deciding it was best to say it all at once rather than piece it out.

"I wasn't keeping track," Attia replied as she wondered whether or not she should have.

"I figured," Keiro answered. "Lucas came to talk to me." Attia started to roll away from him, but his arm around her shoulders went from a comfortingly tight grasp to an iron grip that forced her to stay there. Her entire body went rigid against his, and her eyes hardened after they flashed a second time, but his eyes stayed firmly on hers in a rather determined manner. "Said he wanted to apologize for anything he might've done by coming here. That it was his fault for thinking my life would've opened up easily and let him in when I didn't even know he existed."

"And Morgan?" Attia asked, her voice a little more bitter than she'd wanted it to be. It was bad enough—in her mind—that she'd already told him all her worst fears and insecurities about him and Morgan, and saying her name so bitterly like that made her feel petty and ridiculous. Like any one of his other girls that were jealous of the one that replaced them.

"She wasn't there with him," Keiro answered, his voice still calm and even though his arm around her was anything but. His grip was sometimes tighter than others, sometimes loosening enough to test her, to see if she would stay there on her own will. Whenever she felt his grasp loosen, she wiggled just enough to make his arm go rigid once more. "She came to me before that."

"To say what?" Attia decided it sounded worse to hide her pettiness and mostly fail resulting in a desperate sounding kind of voice, so she just hardened her voice instead. Tried to sound intimidating, even if Keiro would be the last person in the Realm to ever be intimidated by her in their current situation. If she armed and he wasn't, perhaps. But in bed where he could easily pin her down without so much as breaking a sweat, he wasn't worried no matter what tone she liked to use with him.

"She apologized for kissing me," Keiro answered, the corner of his lips pulling up into a smug smirk Attia wouldn't knocked off his face if he hadn't had the good sense to pin her arms down under her side. He seemed to notice because a hint of amusement lit up his eyes and smile for a second before it disappeared and he loosened his grip around her just enough for her to pull one arm out from under her. She just left it rested on his chest and he eyes her hand before he met her gaze again. "I told her something like that was better said to you, but she uh…" He paused to clear his throat and his amusement came back in full force. "She said she'd hoped I would pass on the message so as to give her a chance of getting out of Court with her pretty little face still intact."

Attia fought hard against her smile, but it eventually won out and flashed over her lips, pulling a genuine smile out of Keiro in response. He loosened his grip around her and returned to the tight pull of his arm just to hold her there, and she stayed there against his chest as she lowered her head down to rest against him.

"Do you remember what you told me when I asked you to marry me?" Keiro asked suddenly. Attia was glad she was looking down into his chest only because he couldn't see her immediate response to such a question. When she looked up at him, her eyebrow was already raised.

"Are we back to that?"

"I don't mean your answer," Keiro laughed as he held her gaze. "I mean what you said after."

She narrowed her eyes at him as she thought back to what it was she'd said to him. When it came to her, her eyes widened to normal and she focused her gaze on him. Suddenly the weight of her ring on her left hand became more noticeable than it'd been since she first put it on. "I said I would marry you if you needed me to for any reason that didn't have anything to do with her."

"Yeah," Keiro said as he nodded in agreement.

"Do you have a reason?"

"Yeah," he repeated with another nod.

"Ok." She nodded back to him before she settled down against him again. "I'll get the paperwork from Finn in a few days after everything blows over."

"That's it?" Keiro asked, unable to hide the surprise from his voice. He'd lifted his head to look at her, but she didn't bother looking at him.

"Was there something else? I'm tired," she told him as she stretched her back and entangled her legs with his, all markers that she meant to fall asleep within the next few minutes.

"You won't even ask what my reason is?"

"I don't care what it is," she answered truthfully. Had he been any other man, that might've been construed as a hurtful, even heartbreaking, comment that meant she didn't care why a man would ever want to marry her. But to Keiro it was just the way it was. They'd never needed to be married before, and he knew she was perfectly content for them to never marry at all. She'd said she'd marry him if he wanted her to, and he wanted her to, and that was the end of it. It was of no consequence to her why he wanted to.

"I don't even get a goodnight kiss?"

"If I kiss you, you'll try to have sex with me."

"Is that a problem?"

Attia's body shook as silent laughs rumbled through her body. When it died away, she lifted her eyes up and pressed her lips to his hard. She let him roll to push her beneath him, his lips moving against hers in a way that was certainly not a chaste goodnight kiss. His hands traveled her body to the hem of her shirt before he pressed his hands up her shirt to touch her bare skin. Why he was in such a rush, she wasn't really sure, but she didn't care one way or the other anyway. She just titled her head back when his kisses moved to her neck, and clawed at his shirt until he pulled it off himself.

The next morning, Keiro took Attia's spot in at the Council meeting table while she went to the east wing of Court to find Queen Abigail. Finn had intentionally sent the messenger for King Logan's presence last minute so as not to give the man time to gather his wife for the meeting as well. When Attia arrived at Queen Abigail's rooms, she paused in the doorway and knocked on the open frame to pull the attention of Queen Abigail as well as her ladies. The woman's guards were suspiciously missing, but Attia knew they could just be preparing the family to leave or preparing for some kind of scheme to take Avery back at the last minute.

"Lady Attia," Queen Abigail said as she turned towards the doorway. Her smile lifted rather brightly as she held Attia's gaze. "What brings you to my rooms, this morning?"

"We're having an emergency meeting to discuss your daughter's future," Attia answered, using her best diplomatic tone. "Perhaps your ladies could continue packing your things while I escort you to the meeting?" Queen Abigail, though not as involved in politics as Attia, was aware that Attia never would have left to personally seek out Queen Abigail for something like a Council meeting. She smiled brighter for a moment before she forced it away and turned to her ladies. After nodding to them, she turned back to Attia and followed her out of the room.

Attia led her through a series of hallways to exit the east wing the most common way. She didn't want to raise suspicions just yet, so she continued down the hallway for a few more corners. After looking over her shoulder to determine nobody else was watching them, Attia nudged Queen Abigail down a hallway that they would not have taken to reach the Council meeting hall. The Queen followed her blindly, trusting Attia for no reason other than she believed the woman to be of a higher moral standard than her own.

Eventually, Attia managed to led Queen Abigail into Central Command using the passages only the servers and messengers used rather than the courtiers. They were the ones who liked to spread rumors. In Finn's room, still guarded by two Royal Guardsmen, Attia found Finn and Avery laughing as they played cards on his bed. Though they'd noticed Attia right away, Queen Abigail was hidden behind her, so the two continued their game.

Queen Abigail watched with fascination as Avery laughed and beamed at Finn, her small fragile fingers gripping a hand of cards as her other hand swatted at Finn's in an attempt to knock the cards out of his hand and reveal them to her. He laughed as he pulled his arm back out of her reach, but she tipped forward and fell across their game, her cards tumbling out of her hand and floating to the floor. Finn was laughing as well as he dropped himself forward over her, but propped himself up with one arm on her side. Their bodies were touching, but he wasn't by any means crushing her smaller frame. Thinking only his mother had come for them, he dared to press a kiss to her lips, which she returned as she sweetly reached up to touch her fingertips to his cheek then brush the falling hairs from his face.

By then Attia had stepped to the side of the doorway and Queen Abigail emerged from behind her, but Finn hadn't noticed her until he peered up again at his mother. He stumbled back off of Avery, who was as shocked to see her mother as Finn. Both flushed having been caught sharing affections in front of Queen Abigail even though Attia had interrupted them in a far more passionate embrace. "Mother," Avery said as she pushed herself up quickly and smoothed down her dress, somewhat afraid after having been caught in a compromising position by her mother.

Queen Abigail only smiled brighter having seen the tender exchange between Avery and Finn. Though she hadn't been told directly that her daughter held Finn in high affections, she'd assumed that was the reason Attia had set out to have Avery stay in the realm indefinitely. After having confirmation, Queen Abigail was more grateful than before. Instead of just a life in the Realm, one outside the restrictions of womanhood in Mallery, her daughter would have a chance for real love as well.

"I assume I've been brought here to see you one last time," Queen Abigail said before she peered over her shoulder at Attia, who nodded solemnly as she thought of what she would if she'd ever been forced into Queen Abigail's position. Of course, Attia had far less reservations than Queen Abigail did, and perhaps that was why both women knew Attia would persevere in having Avery stay in the Realm.

Avery threw her arms around her mother's neck and hugged her tightly as she buried her face in her neck. Queen Abigail held her tightly in return and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm sorry," Avery said as she pulled away and stared into her mother's gaze, her eyes beginning to collect tears. "I-" she started before she pressed her lips together and glanced at Finn for a moment before forcing her eyes to her mother before she was caught staring at him for too long. "I asked them to help me."

"I know," Queen Abigail answered, her smile not faltering in the slightest. "I knew that. I know you tried to win Prince John over, but he wouldn't look at you twice, would he?"

"He's already in love with someone else," Avery replied, her voice somewhat defensive as though she were protecting John from her mother.

"Is he?"

"The pretty blonde woman," Avery explained as she smiled. "The one who sits next to him at those meetings. Her ring is an engagement ring from him."

Queen Abigail only smiled as Avery explained John and Victoria's relationship, though she didn't know why she felt compelled to explain John's lack of interest in her to her mother. "I remember her," Queen Abigail finally said with a nod. "She's very beautiful." Avery nodded slowly, unsure of what to say. "How much time do we have?" she asked suddenly as she turned to look over her shoulder at Attia.

"Maybe ten minutes," Attia answered before she shifted her gaze to Finn. "Come on, let them be." She motioned for Finn to leave the room with her, but Queen Abigail reached out to him and managed to grab the very tip of his fingers get his attention.

"Wait," she said and Finn paused as he turned back to her. "Stay with us. I'd like to hear how you stole away my daughter's heart."


	33. Chapter 33

Queen Abigail had Attia stay as well, but she remained quiet, as Finn did, while Avery mostly gushed over him to her mother. Some tings Finn could've done without his mother hearing as well, but he said nothing and endured it as he sat on the bed with Avery across from him beside her mother. Every so often, Queen Abigail looked up at Finn and held his gaze for a long moment, which made him somewhat uncomfortable, but he held her gaze all the same.

"Well," Queen Abigail started as she turned her attention to Avery and smiled at her, "I'm sure your father regrets not having one of our own act as your guard, but I don't. It's nice to see you so happy, I know you wouldn't have been marrying anybody your father picked for you. Are you still to be married?" she asked as she looked from Avery to Finn, then back to Avery once more.

"I-" Avery began then paused as she looked to Finn. "We never talked about it," she admitted while holding Finn's gaze. He smiled at her as he put his hand over hers on the bed and squeezed her fingers gently.

"I still want to marry you," Finn said and Avery blushed as she turned away from him. She was drawn back but her mother's touch on her shoulder. Queen Abigail's gaze was loving and hopeful as she watched her daughter, young, and beautiful and in love for the first time.

"We're out of time," Attia said from her side of the room. It took Queen Abigail a moment to draw in a breath and hold her daughter's gaze for a moment longer. She finally nodded as she started to stand. Avery mirrored her movement and hugged her one last time before the Queen started towards the door of the room.

"I love you, Avery," she said and gave Avery a chance to return the sentiments before she turned to follow Attia out of the room. Attia led her back to the entrance of the east wing before Queen Abigail finally turned to meet her gaze. "Thank you," she said so softly that if Attia hadn't watched the woman's lips moved, she'd have doubted the woman said anything at all.

"I'm sorry you have to leave her," Attia replied genuinely. "But she'll be safe here," she added, though she knew it was a relatively small comfort overall.

"I know that," Queen Abigail answered as she nodded slowly. "I know that you'll not let anything happen to her, and I have faith your son will love her well. He's…" she started but trailed off as she continued to stare at Attia. "He's like his father," she finally said as she smiled.

"I'm not so sure that's a compliment." Her tone was lighthearted and playful rather than harsh and biting.

"It is," Queen Abigail assured her as her smile grew. "They're both good men." She turned and walked away before Attia could say anything to her, though Attia doubted she'd have known what to say to that anyway. Before anybody could catch her lingering there, Attia turned and walked away as well. When she eventually made it the Council meeting hall, the entire room looked like a warzone, if wars were screaming matches instead of physical battles. She'd only gone there to tell Finn it was time to end the pretend negotiations, but she had a feeling King Logan wasn't yet done ranting.

"You!" King Logan's voice boomed as he whipped around to face Attia. His eyes were hard and dark, his entire body tense as were the bodies of his advisors and even his guards. He took two long strides to close the gap between himself and Attia, and though the nearest Realm guardsman was at least ten feet away from her, it wasn't in her nature to step back. She stood her ground and held her gaze on King Logan's eyes as he towered over her in an attempt to intimidate her. "This is all your doing isn't it! You're the King's little whore pulling all the strings, aren't you?"

Attia's lips smirked at King Logan as she still kept her gaze locked on his. She assumed he wasn't all that familiar with anybody refusing to look away from him in reverence. "Oh, yes," she replied, her sarcasm only evident to the Realm side of the table. "Then you should be glad your daughter is marrying a King's son after all, hm?"

King Logan's arm went up, and all at once the room went into frenzy again. Keiro yelled for Finn to do something, while Finn ignored him and yelled to Mason. The nearest guards had started towards her on instinct, but King Logan's guards had blocked them as their King landed a hit across Attia's face. She reacted on instinct, one arm going up to block a second attack, her other arm reaching for her knife. She'd barely nicked the skin of his arm when one of his guards tackled her to the ground and kicked the knife from her hand.

On the other side of the room, Mason had forcibly pushed Finn and Keiro to the far side of the room while every Royal Guardsmen went to Attia's aid, some of them serving only as distractions to the Mallery guards, leaving a few to actually reach Attia. One forced the guard that had tackled her away while two came to either side of her and hauled her to her feet. The one on her right had even handed over one of his knifes, knowing what she could do with one blade if given a few more seconds than she'd got.

"You have one hour to leave Court, or we will be at war," Finn declared from the far side of the room. His eyes were hard as well but still somehow clear. Claudia was less stable as she stood on his side. Finn's hand was clutching Keiro's arm so hard that his knuckles were ghost white under the strain. When Attia's eyes shifted to Keiro, she saw his eyes were hard, dark, and narrowed as he stared at King Logan with a look she recognized well. It was one that meant somebody might not even make it the hour he was allotted by Finn. Mason was on Keiro's other side holding his shoulder and tightening his grip every few seconds when Keiro thrashed in an attempt to free himself.

King Logan had turned to face Finn after hearing and understanding the threat. He swallowed thickly as his guards reformed around him and his advisors. That left all the Royal Guardsmen to gather around Attia, whose cheek was already starting to swell and darken. Her fingers tightened around the handle of the knife supplied to her by one of the men around her.

"Have three Royal Guardsmen follow King Logan to his rooms. They are to stand inside any room he is in with no exceptions until he leaves Court in one hour," Finn ordered, obviously towards Mason though his eyes never left King Logan's. "If you assault her or anybody else here again, we will be at war and your daughter will be our prisoner to do with as we please. Your hour started five minutes ago."

King Logan huffed as he stared at Finn, his attention broken only by an advisor pulling on his arm. He shook his arm so hard at the movement that he'd knocked his own man back a good foot as he turned on his heel and stalked towards the door. He eyes Attia as he passed by her and her mass of guards, but said nothing to her as he filed out of the room, all his guards and advisors behind him. Three of the guards around Attia stepped out after them and left the room. Keiro shook again, his arms getting free of Finn and Mason's grip, though he pushed back on Finn anyway for good measure.

"I'm fine," Attia said before Keiro even reached her. The guards had dispersed by then, and Keiro approached her easily, his hand reaching out to cup her cheek. His eyes flashed when she winced at the contact despite her attempt not to show any pain. "I'm fine, Keiro," she repeated, having a feeling he couldn't hear anything at all over the sound of blood pumping through him too quickly. She was so engrossed by Keiro that she was unaware that the entire room was still with tension and fear of Keiro's reaction even after King Logan had gone from the room.

As though they were alone sharing a moment together, she reached up and stroked his cheek with her finger tips, her fingers drawing a line from his forehead, down his temple, across his cheek, and to the tip of his chin. After lingering there for half a moment, she touched her fingers to his lips softly as she waited for the blackness to clear out of his eyes. For them to soften and recognize her gentle touches for what they were. When he drew in a deep breath and let his shoulders drop, she wrapped an arm around his neck and pushed herself up to her toes to hug him as his arms went around her body tightly.

"I'm fine," she repeated once more now that she knew Keiro could hear her.

"He's a fucker."

"I know," she laughed before she touched her lips to his in a brief kiss meant to further relax him.

"I should kill him."

"Don't," she said strongly as she tried to manage a stern stare. "Then we'll really be at war, and I don't think our son will appreciate his wife in chains."

"We'll get him a new Princess," Keiro said bitterly and Attia only laughed as she continued to stroke his face in the same way she'd done earlier but with her other hand on the other side of his face. She was purposely holding her face at a certain angle so as to better hide the side of her face she could feel swelling from Keiro's gaze. As her fingers reached his lips again, he reached out to touch her chin. She resisted his push to turn her head in the other direction. "Let me see," he demanded, his voice hard.

She sighed as she reluctantly turned her head in the other direction to better reveal to him the darkening skin of her swelling cheek. She felt his body tense up again as he stared at her, so she tried to her wrap her arms around his neck, but he held her out away from his body so he could continue to scrutinize the injury. "Don't kill him, Keiro," she said, her tone very serious, as she knew it was a very real possibility for Keiro to take such drastic measures. "It's just a bruise. It'll go away in a few weeks."

Keiro said nothing as he stared at her, his chest heaving with every breath that probably sucked in too much oxygen for his adrenaline-induced state. When he swallowed hard, she leaned forward and pressed kisses to the column of his neck as her fingers curled around the arch of his shoulder blades. Suddenly, his fingers grasped her hips and pushed her back against the nearest wall before he lifted her up to crush her lips with his. As he pressed against her, his lips moving hard and fast against hers, his fingers digging almost painfully into her hips, Attia let him dominate her entirely as he let out all the pent up rage and frustration in a way that was not killing King Logan.

On the other side of the room, Finn finally relaxed and let out a long breath, able to tell Attia had finally managed to diffuse Keiro. Claudia's hands were on his arm, but he hadn't notice it until his other hand reached across his body to touch her fingers. He turned down to her and smiled weakly in an attempt to reassure her. The gesture did very little, since she could tell as well as Attia and Keiro that Finn's threats about going to war and making Avery their prisoner were very much real.

"You ok?" Attia asked breathlessly when Keiro's forehead dropped to her shoulder. She was panting after Keiro's advance on her, and Keiro's chest was still heaving against hers as well, but was slowing. He nodded so softly that only Attia could tell because she could feel it on her neck. Keiro peeled her off of the wall, but still held her as he back up enough to sit on the Council table, Attia in his lap, her legs around his body, her arms around his neck.

"Yeah," he finally answered, his voice back to normal as he stared at her. He leaned forward to press a gentle kiss on the side of her face that wasn't swelling.

"It's ok, Keiro," she said in his ear and he nodded as he turned to bury his face in her neck. "Come on," she urged as she started to untangle herself from him. "Let's go. I think Kyra and Chris are having lunch. We'll join them."

Keiro nodded again against her. She knew only Kyra could get him completely back to normal. He loved Kyra as much as he loved Attia, if not more so, but Kyra was sweet and innocent whereas Attia was not. Keiro could never be his cold, detached, willing to kill, himself around Kyra. He could never risk corrupting her and turning her into something like him. She was far too perfect for that.

The room was still silent as Attia led Keiro out of the room and down the hallway in the opposite direction King Logan had gone in. The doors were still wide open even after Attia and Keiro had long left sight of the room. Finn took in another shaky breath as he fell back down to his seat and leaned forward over the table. Claudia was right beside him, her hands on his shoulders in an attempt to push the tension away.

"Put three guards on Avery," Finn said finally without lifting her head. "She's not leaving the Realm, am I clear?"

"Of course," Mason answered automatically, his voice softer than usual in response to Finn's obviously fragile state.

"Three new guards, not including Finn," he clarified, though he knew Mason had already assumed that much.

"Right away," Mason replied. "And Keiro?"

"Attia's got him. He'll be fine," Finn said. He didn't lift his head to see the uncertainty everyone had in Attia's abilities to calm Keiro, but he didn't care and he wasn't in any mood to humor everyone else's opinions. He knew Attia and Keiro better than anybody else did, and he knew for certain that Attia would not let Keiro out of her sight until a few days after King Logan had left the Realm. She would not risk war like that.

"Are you alright?" Claudia asked as she crouched down beside him in an attempt to catch his eye. He did turn to her after seeing movement out of the corner of his eye. He managed a weak smile at her as he pushed back on the table to push his chair away a bit before he reached out for her and pulled her into his lap.

"Yeah, I am," he said, his voice back to normal as he held her gaze. She smiled and nodded before leaning forward to kiss his cheek, but Finn turned to kiss her on the lips. After she pulled away, he turned his head to one of the Council members. "Have the Healer send me word if Attia ever goes to him," he instructed before he turned his attention back to Claudia. By then, she'd pieced together the whole of what was bothering him. There more to it was the looming threat of war, and the difficulty of keeping a Princess they stole.

"Attia's ok, you know," Claudia said, striking at the heart of what troubled him. It wasn't at all surprising to her, the rumors of Attia and Finn as lovers, and those rumors had obviously traveled even to King Logan. But she knew as entirely now as she did before that Attia was not, nor had she ever been, her competition in winning and keeping Finn's heart. "A little touch isn't going to stop her from doing anything."

"I know," Finn answered, though he seemed glad to hear it from someone else as well. "I know," he repeated on his own accord as he nodded to himself.

"She doesn't need you any more than she needs him," Claudia told him, and Finn smiled and laughed as he nodded. He knew that, too. Attia didn't need anyone, but it seemed Keiro and Finn needed her, at least sometimes. After another moment, Finn nudged Claudia's lower back and she stood from his lap before they walked out of the Council meeting hall. They'd made it down the hallway before a breathless Anne and Casper turned a corner.

Anne's eyes were wide with worry, one hand clutching the bottom of her skirt revealing her bare feet that could carry her faster than in heels, her other hand behind her grasping Casper's hand. He looked less concerned than she, and more out of shape as well. "Attia. Keiro," she said desperately, unable to form complete sentences between her lack of oxygen in her chest and pure shock.

"We saw them," Casper explained as he tried to release Anne's hand to lean against the wall of the hallway, but her hand refused to loosen its grip. "He looked about ready to murder someone."

"Don't worry about him, Anne," Claudia said as she stepped forward and offered the Princess a comforting smile. Claudia reached out to push one of Anne's falling locks back and helped secure it there with a clip that had fallen out of place.

"Attia's face," Anne said.

"King Logan," Finn replied simply, opting not to elaborate.

"So he might actually murder someone then," Casper commented from behind Anne. The three knew it was just his odd sense of humor, but since the possibility was still very real it sounded less like a joke and more like a dreadful fortune telling. "Maybe it'll liven up this morning visit of theirs, hm?"

"What? Getting their daughter stolen from them wasn't eventful enough?" Claudia asked sarcastically as she wrapped an arm around Anne's shoulders and started walking beside her down the hallway. Casper made a face at the back of Claudia's head as he and Finn followed behind their wives. Finn only rolled his eyes at the gesture and stayed silent.


	34. Chapter 34

**I'm glad you're still enjoying this story! There are only a couple more chapters left, and then I am done with this series. However, I am working on another Attia/Keiro fic, though I'm not certain I will post it here due to 's increased scrutiny about sexually explicit work. You can subscribe to me on Archive Of Our Own just like you can follow me here. Just search my username DawnBently and I'll come right up there.**

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Only Finn and Anne arrived to see King Logan and Queen Abigail off. Claudia stayed behind to coordinate with Mason the heavy protection detail on Avery since Attia had disappeared from Court with Keiro. Casper stayed away on Finn's request, since he didn't need anything else to set off King Logan as they were leaving Court. The entire thing went surprisingly smoothly, so smoothly that the pit of Finn's stomach twisted as he tried to anticipate what that meant. He wondered if the King and Queen's royal party would even make it all the way to the border before their army starting amassing. As of that moment, he'd gotten no word from the men at the border than an army was building on the other side, but in the middle of the night cloaked with shadows, that could change in minutes.

As the last of the party left the front gates of Court, Finn walked out into the courtyard with Anne beside him, three armed guards on each side of them. She was clutching to his arm, her fingers wrapped around his arm, her face tense with worry and concern. The air around them was dusty from dirt forced into the air by the wheels of the carriages rolling away, and the entire courtyard was still except the moving carriages. As the last carriage pulled away from the gate, Finn could make out in the distance one horse standing in the field between Court and the forest. Two people were mounted on the horse, a woman in front of a man, whose arm was around her waist while his other held the reigns of the horse.

"Is that Attia and Keiro?" Anne asked softly, her voice pulling Finn back to the present. He nodded before he could force a verbal conformation out of his throat. "Will he try anything?"

"Not now," Finn answered. Keiro may not care about the political repercussions of his actions, but he could recognize a suicide mission when it was in front of him. King Logan had arm guards all the way down both sides of the long caravan and there was no way Keiro could reach the King, and even if he had reached the King, the guards wouldn't let him back out alive.

Anne seemed uncertain with Finn's answer, but her grip on his arm loosened when she saw Keiro pull on the reigns of the horse to guide it away from the carriages and towards the tree line of the forest. They disappeared when they dropped down on the other side of the hill in the field, prompting Finn to reach across his body to touch Anne's hand. He peeled her fingers from his arm before he led her back into Court, their guards trailing behind them. They walked through Court to reach Finn's office, all of Court quieter and less busy now that their royal guests were gone. In the office, Claudia was seated in Finn's chair with Mason leaning over the desk beside her. Along the back wall of the room, little Finn and Avery were standing near the window, three Royal Guardsmen standing around them.

"Everything ok?" Finn asked when he'd gathered Claudia and Mason's attentions.

"How did it go?" Claudia replied, her tone implying she needed an answer before she provided one.

"Suspiciously well," Finn answered.

"We had to evacuate Central Command," Claudia told him, her voice harder than it was mere minutes ago. "We found evidence of tampering in a lot of the rooms. We cleared out all the battle plans and security risks, but left all the weapons."

"What kind of tampering?" Finn asked as he crossed the room. He paused in front of his desk to look down at the blueprint of Central Command they had laid across it.

"Things moved around. Doors unlocked from the inside. Fresh footprints in the hidden passages."

"Finn and Avery-"

"Beyond his door to the east wing," Claudia said before Finn could continue. "Several different footprints all around the rooms of Central Command the service rooms."

"Which service rooms?"

"Laundry, Communications, and Food Storage. We're interviewing some of the staff, but I don't think it was an inside job. I think King Logan had his people snooping around before they left."

Finn went quiet for a moment before he looked up at his nephew and Avery. She obviously felt everything was her fault, based on the guilt ridden look across her face, despite Finn's attempts to kiss it away.

"We can't evacuate all of Court," Claudia said pulling her husband's attention back to her. She'd stood up, he noticed, and was looking at him with the same look Mason was wearing. It was worrisome to him to see Claudia as hardened as Attia. "They'll see that many people leaving at once, and if they're planning to attack Court, it'll prompt it."

"John and Charlotte," Finn said simply, knowing Claudia would know what he meant.

"Accounted for." Her voice was softer than before, but still not her usual tone. "Victoria is with them in their rooms, along with Chase. We're still waiting for word on Kyra and Chris, and Attia and Keiro. They just left, Finn."

"They went to the forest," he answered and Claudia groaned as she sat back down.

"How can they just leave?" she demanded as she looked up at him. "We can be at war in twenty four hours, Finn."

"I know that," Finn replied sharply, obviously not a fan of the tone she was using with him. "I can't ask them to hold it together for a war, Claudia. If you haven't noticed, Keiro on the edge of a killing spree, and when he tries to kill Logan when they come back to attack us, it's not going to help matters."

"When?" Claudia repeated. "When he tries?"

"Yes, when he tries," Finn said back to her, using the repetition to draw more power to his words. "Nobody attacks her like that and lives through it, Claudia. You know that. And I don't think he'll bother covering it up this time."

"This time?" little Finn called from the other side of the room. Finn looked up to peer at his nephew as Mason turned to look as well. Claudia's eyes dropped to the desktop as though she was just recalling little Finn's presence in the room. "This time? As in he's killed people before?"

"I have a feeling you already knew that," Finn said, choosing his words carefully. His tone had changed dramatically as he spoke to the young man in comparison to how he'd just been speaking to his wife.

"It's different having a feeling and actually knowing."

"A man like that," Finn said as he shrugged as though he knew nothing else to say about the subject. "You can't possibly think he wouldn't after what happened to your mother. If it'd been you. Chris. He'd have killed the man on the spot. It'd have been Kyra, we'd been in war right now."

"He's impulsive and too much of a risk," Claudia said.

"We are not abandoning him," Finn said strongly as he casted his eyes down to her. "They'll be back at midnight, three at the latest. She can handle him."

"We need to get the children out of here, and we don't have anyone to go with the, except Anne and Casper," Claudia said, rephrasing her problem to him in a more direct way. "I wanted Keiro to go with them as well and keep Attia with us to handle it if there's an attack."

"He won't let her stay here if we're going to be attacked, you know it," Finn said. "He'll want to stay here too."

"He's a liability!"

"He loves her! If you want to try to get him to leave her, then by all means, but I'm not going to do it," Finn said simply as he held her gaze. Tense, silent seconds went by as the King and Queen stared at each other, the moment broken only when Finn looked up at his nephew and Avery once more. "Have your old room in High Duke household made up for you and Avery for the night. I'll have Chris and Kyra stay there as well to keep the four of you together. If there is a warning alarm in the middle of the night, you're to follow the hidden passages to the south exit of Court and to take Kyra and Chris with you."

"But-"

"No," Finn said, unwilling to hear anything the young man had to say. "When you find Charlotte, Chase, John, and Victoria, you are not to split up under any circumstances. Am I clear?"

"If we're going to war, I want to-"

"No," Finn and Mason said at the same moment, leaving little Finn breathless as he huffed, his eyes switching between them.

"We did all of this because you love her," Finn said as he motioned to Avery. "And we won't have you dying on a war front two days later. And then what would we do with her?" he asked, his tone switching suddenly to a teasing one that forced a smile on his nephew's face. "I'm sure your mother has an armory somewhere in their room in case you need a few extra knives or something."

"Alright," little Finn said as he nodded, obviously not entirely on board with his uncle's request, though not willing to fight it either. He turned to Avery and offered her his hand before they started towards the door of the office, their guards following behind them. Within a few hours, Finn managed to locate Chris and Kyra and move them to her old room in High Duke household. He'd also convinced Charlotte, Chase, John, and Victoria to stay in their connected rooms for the entire night except to leave Court through the hidden passages if need be.

When Attia and Keiro rode up to the gates of Court, they were met by Mason's standing army, who let them into Court without so much a second glance. Their ranks closed up immediately behind them as they held their ground firmly. As soon as they stepped foot inside, they were escorted by four guards to Finn's office, where Claudia, Finn, and Mason were hovering around his desk. A few members of Council were present, but certainly not a majority.

"Expecting an attack?" Attia asked, pulling Finn and Claudia's attention to the doorway where she and Keiro stood beside each other. The room had darkened when the sun went down, making the bruise look more shadowed than it was.

"What gave it away?" Finn asked sarcastically, a grim smile across his face before he looked back down at Mason's battle plan. "We've confined the children to their rooms. Finn, Avery, Chris, and Kyra in High Duke household. John, Victoria, Charlotte, and Chase in their rooms. They've all been instructed to take the hidden passages to the south exit when the alarm sounds. Our hope is that Keiro, Anne, and Casper will go with them."

"And Attia," Keiro added. It was a statement, not a question and not a request.

"You'll stay behind rather than Attia go with you," Finn answered, conceding to the other man without even pretending to compromise. "We need her in case it comes to another meeting of sorts."

"No," Keiro said strongly. Again, he wasn't asking questions or making requests. He was calling the shots. "You're not going to put her in the same room with him again, Finn. And you're not going to strand our kids with just Finn to protect them."

"We've got two squads of men to escort them through the passages, and another already stationed at the exit," Mason explained. "Vivian is going with them as well," he added in a desperate attempt to make Keiro see that if Mason would send Vivian down that path, then it must be heavily guarded and protected. It worked.

"How will forty people get anywhere quickly?" Keiro questioned.

"They don't have to get there quickly," Finn replied. "They just have to get away. And they will. Victoria won't give up, and neither will Finn or John. They'll pull everyone else with them."

"And your army out there?" Keiro asked.

"Getting bigger every minute," Mason answered, pulling Keiro's eyes to him. "We've locked down most of Court to stop people from leaving in masses. They'll be let out ten minutes after the first alarm."

"Is ten minutes long enough for the kids to get to the south exit?" Attia asked, realizing why they were planning the delay. They didn't want masses of people getting in the way of their children escaping first.

"If they run," Mason answered. "But I don't think we can delay any longer than ten minutes. Between most of the guards in the standing army or on the kids, we don't have much left to act as traffic controllers in the hallways."

"So what do we do, then?" Attia asked. Her voice wasn't desperate nor hopeful. She was simply asking what the next step was, and the casual tone of her voice unnerved Claudia.

"We wait," Finn answered as he met her gaze. His tone mirrored Attia's, pulling Claudia's attention to him next.

"That's it?" she questioned, her voice sounding panicked in comparison. "We just wait for them to attack us?"

"Yes," Finn answered her with a nod as he shifted his eyes to her briefly. "We'll move up to the higher tower in the front of Court where we'll be able to see what happens. We've got scouts all over the surrounding areas to report back immediately if there's any movement."

"Why are you so calm?" Claudia said with a huff as she reached over and grabbed Finn's arm. Her fingers wrapped around him tightly, her nails digging into his flesh, though he made no movement to release himself from her grasp. "How can you be so calm?"

"We've already planned for the children to get out," he reminded her, as though that was her main concern. "There's nothing else left for us to be worried about. If they attack us and destroy Court, then fine. We'll build a new one with bigger walls, better defenses. If they take over, then we run to the North. It doesn't matter to me, as long as the children are alive. Besides, I think I've had worse than this. At least we know what's going to happen, and it's not sudden."

Keiro snorted and Attia smiled, and Finn fought his own smile as he kept his gaze on Claudia. She just stared at him, her brow wrinkled until he leaned forward to kiss her forehead and force a wave of relaxation through her. "No matter what happens, we'll be ok," he told her as he wrapped an arm around her when she'd finally released his arm. She nodded against him, but he had a feeling she was unable to shake the dread from within her.

Slowly, the five made it through Court and to the watch towers connected by a skywalk. Keiro and Attia were holding hands as they walked beside each other then turned to look out at the Royal Guards in the courtyard below them. Attia was against the side wall of the skywalk, Keiro behind her, his chest pressed against her back, one arm around her waist. Mason was beside them, looking down at the growing army as well. Finn and Claudia were side by side, hands joined, Finn calmer than Claudia.

"Your kid sure knows how to pick them, Keiro," Finn commented and the five all laughed. Though it was dark out, with an army beneath them, everyone tensed for the first act of war, the laugh was real and genuine and happy. It was strange and out of place, yet seemed perfectly normal between the five who'd been running Court and the Realm together for years and years and years.

"Vivian is pregnant," Mason said suddenly. Attia turned to him as Finn did, both in shock. Mason, however, kept his gaze forward on the empty darkness an army could invade at any minute. "She just found out a few days ago, and with everything going on…"

"Congratulations," Finn said as Mason turned to him, smiling brightly the way Finn had so many years ago when Claudia had been pregnant. Attia touched Mason's shoulder, pulling his attention to her, and the two smiled at each other before they all face forward again.

"She's worried that she'll miscarry," Mason continued, his tone clearly showing he had too much to say to stay quiet as they waited for war. Of course, since none of the other four had anything more important to say, they let him continue on for as long as he wanted. "She tried to talk to you," he explained as he looked briefly to Attia, "but I stopped her before she got there."

"Good call," Keiro said as he laughed then bent down to kiss Attia's cheek as she rolled her eyes.

"Does adopting feel different?" Mason asked when he'd turned forward again.

"No," Keiro and Attia answered at the same time, both certain Mason had been asking them directly.

"Not until he marries your daughter," Keiro added and Attia rolled her eyes again, but her smile stayed in place. "But right up until then, it's not."

The five fell quiet as they listened to the sound of footsteps moving hastily around beneath them. By the minute, more rows of men were added to the army, every man in armor and carrying a sword on side of their bodies, a gun on the other. They were in neat arrangements with aisles between them for the Officers to walk between them and give orders, but the distant shouting and the running footsteps ceased all at once. In the distance on the top of the hill, a dust cloud rose up from the ground but it was darkened in the night. Seconds later a single mounted horse appeared, an army no where in sight.

"What do we do?" Mason asked, his voice rushed and tense. The other four could hear the shouting coming from his earpiece that had increased dramatically in volume as soon as the single figure appeared in the distance.

"Approach him with five men," Finn answered. "One of your Officers with a communication piece."

Mason gave the order over his small microphone that transmitted his voice to all the other officers who wore their earpieces as well. In a minute, the officer he names started forward with two men on each side of them, the five riding out quickly to meet the horsemen still riding towards Court. The five on the skywalk watched in anticipation, every one of them expecting the solo man was meant to bait their men into a surprise attack on the other side of the hill. But as the seconds ticked by, no opposing army appeared.

"No!" Mason yelled suddenly into his microphone. The other four weren't sure what the officer had said to him. "Keep away from Court!"

"What is it?" Finn asked harshly and Mason turned to him.

"He says its Queen Abigail," Mason answered, uncertain whether or not the claim was true. Finn stared out at the figure on horseback once more, his eyes narrowing as he thought about the prospect. "No other men are in sight from out there, he said."

"Bring her in," Finn ordered as he pushed off the wall and started towards the watch tower, Claudia right behind him. "Have her brought to my office. Attia, Keiro come with us," he said hastily as he and Claudia continued at the same pace.


	35. Chapter 35

**There is only one chapter left after this one! I hope you'll all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

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Finn stood behind his desk, Claudia beside him, Attia on the other side. Keiro was next to her, their hands still joined as were Finn and Claudia's. No members of Council were present, and it was clear from their facial expressions they weren't in any mood to bargain for anything. They waited for minutes, though it seemed like hours with the threat of war looming over them. Finally, the doors to the office swung open fast and hard, the doors slamming open against the walls as two Royal Guardsmen escorted Queen Abigail into the room. Her arms were held up by the guards, her dress muddied and dirty from her ride, her face fallen but suddenly hopeful when she saw the four on the other side of the desk. Mason came into the room after the Queen and the two guards, whom he dismissed from the room. They shut the door behind them and left the six alone in the office.

"My Lord," Queen Abigail started quickly as she fell to her knees. Keiro and Attia narrowed their eyes at the Queen while Claudia and Finn exchanged glances with each other. They'd expected her to be the messenger of an act of war, not to drop to her knees in front of a foreign King.

"What are you doing here?" Finn asked, his voice softer than he'd intended it to be when he'd thought she was declaring war on behalf of her husband. With her bowing to him, he found it difficult to be harsh with her.

"I-" Queen Abigail started as she lifted her eyes up to Finn. Her lips were parted, her eyes wide with fear and worry as she shook her head. Her face was dirty and dusty as were her hands, that twisted around each other quickly. "I made a deal with him. With Logan."

"On our behalf?" Finn questioned as he released Claudia's hand and walked around his desk to sit on the front edge of it. Queen Abigail's eyes followed him, but she stayed on her knees before him.

"Well," she started then paused as her eyes shifted to Attia and lingered there. "If I may be honest, I didn't do it for you or for your country. I did it for me and my daughter."

"What did you do?" Attia asked as she moved towards Queen Abigail as well. Keiro released her hand, expecting Attia to go towards Finn, but she passed the desk to go right up to Queen Abigail. As she drew closer, she saw the red marks around the woman's neck, marks Attia knew well. They were from someone forcibly removing jewelry from around her neck. They looked fresh and aggravated beneath the layer of dirt and dust that covered the rest of her. Queen Abigail held Attia's gaze intensely, a weak smile appearing on her lips and refusing to fade away.

"I gave up my crown and granted him an annulment of our marriage to relieve Avery of her position as Princess officially and let him make his mistress his new Queen," Queen Abigail answered, her smile widening as she continued. The three around Finn's desk felt like intruders on the conversation Queen Abigail was obviously having with only Attia, who'd drawn the woman up to her feet. She swallowed hard as she gripped Attia's fingers and shifted her eyes to Finn. "He took his army back to the Palace and exiled me," she said to Finn, but her eyes were unable to stop flicking back to Attia every few moments. "I've nowhere else to go. No other family but my daughter and she's here. She wants to be here, and I want her to stay here."

"You want us to take you in as well?" Finn asked, still feeling on edge even though the ex-Queen in front of him had just confirmed that no war was to be had.

"I want-" she started the stopped suddenly. "I don't know. I didn't think about it when I came here. Just… don't send me back there, please."

"Finn," Attia said, pulling his attention to her. She just stared at him, and he knew what it was she wanted. Finn nodded a she drew in a breath and looked up to Mason, still standing behind Queen Abigail.

"Call back the standing army, unlock Court, and have a room made up for Queen Abigail in the east wing. Five guards are to stand on duty outside the door at all times."

"I'm not a Queen anymore, Your Majesty," she said when Finn's eyes fell on her once more. She was smiling as though Finn had just granted her permission to stay indefinitely, though he'd only given her a room—a heavily guarded room—for the night.

"And send for Avery," Finn added, as though he'd not heard Abigail at all.

"Come on," Attia said as she pulled on Abigail's arm to lead her towards the door. Mason opened the door for them then went in the opposite direction to carry out Finn's orders as Attia walked with Abigail to the east wing. Though she was supposed to be guarded, Attia went with her alone, and Finn wasn't that concerned. The guards were only to be sure she wasn't sending messages to Mallery, and Attia certainly could hold her own against the woman.

"Does he believe me?" Abigail asked desperately as she turned to Attia when they'd reached the same room Abigail and King Logan had been staying in previously. Attia met her gaze as she thought about the answer.

"I do," Attia said, opting to give the woman a shred of hope. "Avery will be here soon, and the maids will draw a bath for you if you'd like."

"He won't attack here," Abigail replied, as she reached for Attia's wrist and held it tightly as though it were the only way she knew to keep Attia's attention. "He's disowned her as his daughter. He's already crowned his son as his heir and made the boy's mother his wife. He's rid of me and of Avery, and that's what he wanted."

"And you gave it to him," Attia finished. Abigail beamed as she nodded.

"After everything you did for her, I wanted to do something too," she admitted. "I didn't like thinking all the good things my daughter got were from someone else because I was too afraid."

"She doesn't think that, you know," Attia assured her. "We'll be talking about you all night, so in the morning when we send for you-"

"You'll let me stay, won't you?" Abigail said before Attia could finish. Her fingers had tightened around Attia's arm, her voice had flare with fear and worry, her eyes widened and darkened. Attia wasn't even sure she'd seen someone so terrified before. "I have nowhere else to go."

"I'll try," Attia replied, unable to be realistic with the woman who was so terrified she was nearly shaking.

"Avery told me that when you say that, it means, it'll happen."

Attia only laughed as she pried her arm out of Abigail's grip and started towards the doors, where the woman's guards had started to appear. Attia went back to Finn's office, where Council had gathered in addition to Finn, Claudia, and Keiro around the desk. Finn looked up at her first as she entered the room then crossed to the center near the desk.

"Well?"

"She's scared," Attia answered with a shrug. "She's afraid you're going to kick her out, and she doesn't know where to go."

"No, I meant is she telling the truth?" Finn replied.

"Yes," Attia answered as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Of course she is. She's not exactly a lying mastermind, Finn."

"You can't be serious," Victoria called from the far side of the room. She stepped forward away from her fellow Council members and boldly approached Finn's desk. When it wasn't a formal Council meeting, most Council members just waited along the back of the office until they were called upon, but Victoria wasn't the type to sit and wait for answers to be given to her. "It's bad enough we've got Avery here as it is. We don't need to give them more reason to come here."

"King Logan doesn't want his wife or his daughter," Attia said as she met and held Victoria's gaze. "And Avery is not a threat to you or your hold on the throne, Victoria."

"Everyone keeps saying that like that's my main concern," Victoria replied sharply as she narrowed her eyes.

"Isn't it?" Claudia asked.

"No!" Victoria snapped, obviously not caring in the slightest what manner in which she spoke to the King and Queen. "You've already shut down Court because of Avery and now you want keep her mother here too. That is my only concern."

"Attia?" Finn asked as he looked to her again. He rose an eyebrow as he waited for her to give her side of the argument.

"She just wants to be with her daughter," Attia explained simply as she turned and held Finn's gaze.

"That I believe," Finn said as he nodded.

"What does that mean?" Victoria asked and Finn turned back to her.

"Go back to bed, Victoria. We'll have an official Council meeting in the morning to see what to do with her."

"What to do with her here," Victoria clarified and Finn only nodded.

"Yes," he said and Victoria let out a breath as she turned away. "We'll talk about it in the morning."

All of Council filed out the room as though on cue, except for Victoria, who'd always felt a little more daring than the rest of Council. Finn held her gaze as he waited for the last Council member to pull the door shut behind him. "Will you still have an issue if there is no threat of war?" Finn asked finally and Victoria narrowed her eyes at him carefully. Instead of answering right away, she glanced to the side at Attia, then to Claudia, before she focused on Finn once more.

She drew in a deep breath as she tried to form her diplomatic answer. When it wouldn't come, she resorted to the truth. "Fine, I hate Avery and having her mother here will just keep her here forever. Is that what you want to hear?"

Finn laughed as he nodded, and Victoria got the condescending feeling that Finn already knew what she'd admitted to.

"And besides, the next girl you ship in here to marry John won't last as long as this one did," Victoria added, her tone quickly shifting from annoyed to threatening. At her last comment, Attia and Keiro laughed and Finn's smile brightened as he nodded again.

"Duly noted, Victoria," he told her before he motioned to the door. "We'll talk about it in the morning."

That night, Keiro rolled over to Attia before she had a chance to fall asleep. His hand on her waist slipped around her body to the other side as his other hand pulled back the hair on her neck to expose the skin for his lips to kiss. She didn't respond to his advances, since she could tell he wasn't really after any kind of affection. If he was, his movements would be more deliberate than they were.

"What do you want?" she finally asked when his lips started to move up to her ear. She felt his lips pull into a smile against her skin as he continued to flutter his lips against her.

"What happened to those marriage papers?" he asked softly before he tugged on her earlobe with his teeth. She reached up behind her to run her fingers through his silvery blonde locks as she rolled into his body more so than before.

"I had them drawn up, but they're not official until Finn signs them," she answered, her voice lowering whenever Keiro's ministrations sent a wave a pleasure down her spine.

"And then he'll know."

"Exactly. Unless you didn't want official papers. Just a ceremony."

"You think I'm being ridiculous," he said. He wasn't accusing her of anything, just stating a fact. She laughed as she rolled over completely, forcing him back an inch to accommodate her. Her arm was still around his neck awkwardly as she held his gaze.

"I said I would marry you if you wanted me to. I don't care if it's ridiculous."

"I'm glad you're so romantic," he said sarcastically, his lips pulling up into a rather amused smile.

"You're the one who purposed to me in the middle of the worst fight we've ever had."

"I thought that you wanted-"

Before he could continue and risk dragging up what they'd already put behind them, Attia silenced him with a kiss. He returned the kiss and rolled over her, his hands moving down her frame, his fingers pulling on the hem of her shirt.

"Just a ceremony," he said finally, his words mumbled between his lips and through a kiss. He pulled away right after, but only to press kisses to her neck. She groaned at the sensation, her head rolling back to give him more space as her arms tightened around his neck. "With nobody else there," he added as he trailed his kisses down her neck towards her collarbone.

"Not even Kyra, Chris, and Finn?"

"Kyra will want the whole package of a wedding," Keiro answered, not once missing a beat in his kisses against her skin. "And it'd be easier if nobody knew."

"We'll have to pay off the minister to not tell anyone," Attia told him, her mind already wandering to the practical aspects of the whole ordeal, even as Keiro left kisses all the way down her neck, across her collarbone, and back up her neck on the other side.

"In the middle of the night," Keiro said as he started down her chest. He stopped when her hands tightened in his hair and dragged his head up to hers, so she could press their lips together. She arched into his body, moaning when their chests slid together. "Like Kyra's wedding."

"Whatever you want," she promised in between their kisses as she wrapped her legs around his hips, prompting one of his hands to travel down to touch her leg then hook his fingers around the back of her knee.

"Tomorrow night."

"That soon?"

"Why not?"

"Fine," she said as she kissed him again, but it was a hard kiss that meant she'd run out of patience to continue their conversation.

The next morning, Keiro watched her as she pulled a brush through her hair while seated at her vanity table. She was just in her bra and underwear, having not yet dressed, as she stared into the reflection of the mirror. Her eyes narrowed as she paused her arm holding the brush while her other hand reached over to pick out a few strands of hair noticeably lighter than the rest of her head.

"I like the greys," Keiro commented and Attia's eyes shot to him in the mirror as though she hadn't noticed him at all. He was lounging across the bed diagonally, the sheets draped around his waist, his forearm propping his head up. "Make you look intimidating."

"Intimidating?" she repeated as she released the lock of hair and continued to pull her brush through the ends of her hair. "Did I need help in that department?"

"Nope," he answered as he shook his head. "But you definitely don't anymore." She laughed as she set her brush down and stood up from her vanity table before she turned back to him. He noticed she'd picked up something from the corner of her desk, so his eyes followed her hands as she slipped her ring onto her left hand. When his eyes when back up to her face, he smiled at her. She returned the smile but said nothing as she went into the closet to dress for the day.

Keiro eventually dressed as well, though he spent more time in the closet trying to convince Attia to come back to bed than he did actually putting on clothes. After getting his arms through the sleeves of a shirt, he pressed Attia against the wall of the closet and lowered his head to her neck as his hands held her waist to keep her there between him and the wall. Slipping out of his grasp wasn't impossible, so the fact that she stayed and let him hold her there spurred him on to continue.

"Will you wear a ring after tonight, too, or is it just me?" Attia questioned suddenly and Keiro pulled away from her. His eyes narrowed as he studied her face, unable to tell if she was serious or not from her tone. She'd also been careful to keep her face straight as he watched her, so he remained quiet, doing nothing, as he tried to decide how to take her question.

Since he didn't answer her, Attia pushed his arm off of her waist and stepped out from between him and wall and left the closet. Keiro narrowed his eyes at her as he turned to watch her cross the room to go into their bathroom. She didn't turn to smile at him, a hint that she'd been kidding, but she didn't press for an answer, a hint that she was serious, either.

He was certain he was over thinking it as he sat on the edge of the bed, his fingers buttoning up his shirt through muscle memory. With his gaze casted forward, he didn't even notice when Attia came out of the bathroom until she touched his shoulders and pulled his attention back to him. "What are you thinking about? You look like your head is going to explode," she told him as she dragged her fingers down his arm to interlace their fingers.

"Nothing," he answered as he let her take his fingers and lead her out of the bedroom.


	36. Chapter 36

In the Council meeting, it was decided that Abigail would be allowed to remain in the Realm for however long she wished. Finn's scouts from around the borders had confirmed her story that King Logan had pulled his army away and that a few men had chased her all the way to the boarder to ensure she stayed in exile. When the matter was put to a vote, even Victoria voted in the woman's favor, though she obviously wasn't keen on the idea. Abigail picked up on that much, but she said nothing as she smiled at the woman Avery had pointed out as the next Queen.

"Now all that's left to figure out, is what to do with you," Finn said as he eyed Abigail. Council had already started filing out of the room, but as usual, John and Victoria hung back with Finn, Claudia, and Attia. Abigail was still in her seat in the center of the table next to Attia, her hands folded in her lap, as she turned her gaze to Finn.

"How do you mean?" she asked gently, genuinely uncertain of what Finn meant.

"Do you want a room at Court, and live off of a monthly allowance we provide for you? Or would you like lands somewhere to make revenue off of?"

Abigail only stared back at Finn, her face changing only slightly as her confusion became more apparent. "I wouldn't know how to do anything with lands," she admitted. "Women aren't taught such things in Mallery. But I would not like to depend entirely on you either."

The room went quiet as Finn turned to Attia first, then to Claudia. John and Victoria shared a glance before they looked at Finn as well. "Make her property manager," Victoria said suddenly, pulling Abigail's attention to her. "It's not that hard to learn. I'm getting tired of doing it."

"I thought you liked filling in as property manager," Finn said as he eyed Victoria. She turned to him as she shrugged.

"Until I had go chasing down payments," she answered and he laughed as he nodded. Slowly, he turned back to Abigail and eyes her.

"Property manager?" she asked as she looked at Finn.

"You have to travel to my estates around the Realm and collect payments from the people who stay there when I'm not there. You also have to make arrangements for any maintenance the buildings or ground might need. You just… make sure everything runs smoothly," Finn explained.

"How many properties?"

"I have six in total, but we'd start you with Attia's three," Finn answered. When Abigail narrowed her eyes in confusion, he continued on to explain. "The three estates Attia manages are the closest three to Court, so you wouldn't have to travel as far. Attia would just take over Victoria's three on the far side of the Realm."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to make her do anything extra," Abigail replied as she turned quickly to Attia, who only laughed as she shook her head.

"She likes the time away," Finn explained. "She takes Keiro and they probably enjoy themselves too much."

"I wouldn't say too much," Attia said with a shrug, but Finn rolled his eyes as he kept his attention on Abigail.

"For the first few times, Attia will go with you so you'll understand what all you have to do. Would you like to do that?" Finn asked and Abigail nodded without even considering an alternative. "You'll have to set up a vault for us to put your salary in, as well. Attia can help you with that. But we can move to my office to finalize the details of your position as property manager," he said as he stood up. They all moved to Finn's office, where he had all the paperwork for the position stored in the files in his desk.

He'd pulled out the few that needed to be approved by Council for her to sign when the doors to his office opened. Little Finn and Avery walked into the room, no longer flanked by guards. "The alarm never went off," little Finn commented as he peered around the room. Nobody said anything to him, since his comment was fairly obvious anyway.

"You can leave in a few days if you'd like," King Finn said to Abigail after she'd signed the papers on his desk.

"Leave?" Avery repeated as she stepped forward from Finn's side. She'd only seen her mother the night before, when Council had not yet decided whether or not to keep Abigail there. In addition, it was obvious nobody had informed Finn of the developments that had occurred over the night and morning. "No! You can't send her back to Mallery!"

"Avery-"

"No," Avery repeated, not allowing her mother to speak. King Finn rose his eyebrow as he eyed Avery in shock. He'd never heard the young woman raise her voice once, and yet she was apparently very capable of being forceful when she was under the impression that those who'd saved her were to condemn her mother.

"How can you send her back to Mallery?" she demanded, her voice louder and more forceful that even before. "She's already been exiled and you'll just send her to her death! If you send her back, I'll… I'll-"

"Avery, I-"

"No, let her talk," Victoria said, stopping King Finn from responding to her. John and his father eyed Victoria, but neither said anything as Victoria kept her gaze on Avery, who turned to her as well. "What are you going to do when we send her back, Princess Avery?" Victoria questioned, purposely using the title though it sounded more offensive than respectful.

"I'll tell people that you use state funds on your own personal expenses," Avery answered, suddenly bold as she held Victoria's gaze, feeling rather threatened by the blonde.

"Oh, blackmail," Victoria laughed, the sound less out of humor and more vindictive. "That's bold. But where's your proof? You can't go around accusing people in power of such nasty things."

"There's records of it in all your finance files in Finn's mother's office," Avery answered simply, and the smirk on Victoria's face shifted into a grin as she nodded slowly. Suddenly nobody felt compelled to stop Avery except her mother, who was silenced when Attia put a hand on her arm.

"Breaking and entering a state office, and illegally accessing sealed files," Victoria said with another dry laugh. "And here I thought you were too much of a doting wife without a husband to do such nasty things. We should throw in treason, too, for good measure. I'm sure Council would love that."

"Victoria," little Finn said sharply but didn't approach her when King Finn held up a hand to him.

"That's enough, Victoria," King Finn said as he looked to the blonde. He waited for Victoria to meet his gaze before he turned to Avery. "We're not sending your mother back to Mallery, Avery. She's agreed to become my property manager, and she'll be leaving Court for just a few days with Attia to go over her work."

"What?" Avery replied, her voice returning to its usual soft tone as her cheeks flushed bright red. Victoria laughed as she turned away from Avery to face John. "You're not sending her back to Mallery."

"Of course not," Finn answered with a warm smile.

"But if you'd like to blackmail us still-"

"Victoria," Finn said strongly to stop her. Victoria only laughed as she linked her arm with John and started to walk with him towards the door of the office.

"I have to say though," Victoria started as she turned back. Avery was far too embarrassed to face Victoria again after all the things she'd just said. "I think I like you a bit more now that you're less annoying," she said before she left the room with John, her laugh still traveling into the room when she was down the hallway.

"I'm sorry, I just-"

"It's alright," Finn said with a chuckle when he looked down at Avery. "Victoria's right," he told her, causing her eyes to widen in fear. "No, not about telling Council. About it's nice to know you're not as uh… one dimensional as you seem. Apparently only Finn gets to know anything about you until your threatened. Got a mouth on your girl there, Finn. And she certainly knows how to use it."

"He has his father's taste in women," Claudia commented and she laughed when Finn did, though Attia rolled her eyes. Avery was still embarrassed, her cheeks still hot and red as her mother came to her side and offered her a comforting hug.

"Come on," Abigail said as she turned with Avery. "We'll have breakfast." The two left the office, and little Finn looked up at his mother before he looked at his uncle.

"You let her stay," he said finally, and Attia nodded at him. "Thanks," he added when the room stayed quiet. Attia smiled at him, but he'd directed his gaze downward. "For everything," he said with a shrug before he turned and left the office before the three around the desk could call him back.

"Can you make the arrangements for leaving to go to the estates?" Finn asked as he turned to Attia. She turned to him as well before she shook her head and pushed the pages Abigail signed to his side of the desk.

"No. I'm busy tonight."

That night, Keiro let Attia roll out of bed without so much an argument. She went into the closet before he did to slip into her dress. It was a green one similar to the old blue one Keiro used to like, but it fit her better after she'd changed over the years. After she'd pulled the straps up to her shoulders, she felt Keiro's hand on her waist as his other hand fumbled for her zipper to draw it up to the top of the dress. She turned around to face him and he kissed her before she could see too much of his emotions in his face. He dressed silently too, opting for a clean pressed black shirt and his regular pants. As he helped her, she buttoned up his shirt, her eyes every so often flicking up to him, a coy smile across her lips.

"Keep looking at me like that, and we're not going to make it out there," he told her, and she laughed as she lowered her gaze to the last button she pushed through on his shirt. He shrugged his shoulders to get the shirt into a comfortable position before he offered his hand to her and they left their room silently. They walked that way all the way to the back gardens where the officiator was already waiting. They'd not bothered with lights so as not to draw suspicion to them, so the garden was lit only by the customary lights for the pathways and the walls. They were mostly casted in the shadows of a nearby tree.

Keiro's hand tightened around Attia's as the officiator's words floated around them. He noticed the vows he read off were different from the ones at Kyra and Chris' second big wedding, and he smirked, knowing Attia had thought ahead and had that dreadful bit about obeying taken out beforehand. It was so like her to think of all the things he never would have. She agreed to her vows and looked up at him quickly, but turned away when she saw his eyes had been on her the entire time. It was a rare moment that he allowed all his emotions show through, and it took some doing on his part not to steel his face, but he'd managed it rather successfully. He'd asked her to marry him, and she hadn't even asked him why. The least he could do, he thought, was at least let her see what the gesture meant to him. He agreed to his vows, only vaguely aware of the officiator's voice still carrying on in the background. As he slipped Attia's ring back onto her finger, he noted that she'd not produced a ring for him as well, but he wasn't sure if he liked that or not.

As the officiator declared them married, he took a step back and let Keiro draw Attia to him, one arm circling around her waist as he lowered his lips to hers. At first the kiss was soft and gentle, but Attia returned it passionately as she pressed up against him. It took a lot of effort for him to pull away and swallow as he turned to the officiator and reached into his back pocket.

"This didn't happen," Keiro told him as he tossed over a small pouch that jingled with the promise of several coins. The officiator only nodded as he pocketed the money and started back towards the wall of Court while Keiro kissed Attia again. The way she kissed him put doubt in his mind that they'd even make it back to their room. As her hands started down his chest, he had a feeling she'd planed on that. Before they could much further, however, she pulled away from the kiss and rested her head on his chest, her arms still around his neck tightly.

"Why did you want to get married?" she asked finally, her voice telling him that the question had been haunting her for some time and she'd finally given up on ignoring it. She pulled back from his chest to meet his gaze. "I already told you that I thought of you as my husband already. I didn't need this to prove it."

"I did," he answered as he bent down to press their foreheads together. "I needed it, because I don't want you to ever think that I want anyone else again." He didn't say her name, but Attia knew who he was referring to. And he didn't continue, because it was already well established that they weren't the best at communicating such deep and personal issues even to each other.

She scratched her fingers on the back of his neck and his eyes shut momentarily as he gasped at the sensation, then forced his attention on her again. She smiled coyly at him before she stole a quick soft kiss from him. "Ok," she said simply as she smiled at him. She seemed to understand all the things Keiro couldn't really put into words. That he wanted only her, and marriage was the only way he knew to prove it, even if she'd already thought them married. He needed to prove it not because she didn't believe it but prove it for himself. He needed to know he'd proved it to her, and having her marry him was the only option he could think of.

"Ok," he replied as he nodded and she only laughed before she kissed him again, though it was more forceful than their last kiss. He returned the kiss eagerly, breaking apart only long enough to tell her something he didn't say nearly often enough. "I love you."

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**This is the end! I hope you all liked it. Right now, I am pretty dead set that this is the end of this series, though I was persuaded earlier to write the third and fourth books to this series when I had originally not intended to do so. So, while I do firmly believe this is the end, I may or may not add something in the future, though it will most likely be a little something that happens in-between the existing books I have up here. So, you've not already author alerted me, you can do that so you can get a notification should I ever add something more. Also, I think I will in the future put up another K/A fic up here though it will be a censored version of what I'm planning to post on Archive Of Our Own. **

**That being said, thank you to everyone who's read though this much of my work. Really, I've never had so much attention on such a small fandom before, so I'm very grateful and appreciative. :)**

**btw, I hope the wedding was what everything everyone hoped it would be. I've been getting messages and reviews about having a High Duke wedding since the first book! Sorry you've had to wait so long! **


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